CMC program provides pathway to job skills in the construction industry
Three Salida High School students are the first to earn a Basic Construction Technology certificate from Colorado Mountain College Salida.
Gabe Gentile, Edwin Office and Caleb Ediger have spent the last two years applying hands-on skills at active job sites.
“These students have done everything from pouring and finishing concrete to window, door and flooring installation,” said CMC Salida instructor Kyle Earhart.
In the two years the students have participated in the program, they have worked on Spartan Heights, a fourplex apartment complex, and the Tailwind Apartments, a multifamily housing project, both in Poncha Springs. Three of the program’s students, including two of the graduates, have secured employment with Diesslin Structures Inc. (DSI) for the summer.
CMC, Salida School District and DSI began the collaborative Basic Construction Technology program in 2019. It encourages students to learn job skills while earning college credit through CMC’s concurrent enrollment program (CEPA), which allows high school students to earn college or vocational credit towards a postsecondary diploma, certificate or degree. Students who are enrolled in these college classes also receive credits that apply to their high school diplomas.
Visit Colorado Mountain College Salida for more information.