Demand for trained professionals in the trades is at an all-time high and will continue to grow. So it was no surprise that on the first day of school for Southeast Michigan Construction Academy (SEMCA) they had a record turn out! More than 180 first year students enrolled for the 2021–22 year exploring careers in the trades — the highest in the history of the academy.
“Our academy has been growing and changing over the last four years,” said Mickey Mortimer, Vice President of SEMCA. “With the board’s vision of tripling enrollment in five years, we are also looking for new ways to educate the SE Michigan area and to attract new and more students to our school and the trades in general. We will remain firmly rooted in delivering hands-on, high-quality trades apprenticeship education for ABC members and non-members alike.”
SEMCA has created inventive ways of delivering programming to a variety of students and customizing their hybrid program to meet the needs of new generations of students as well as changing trends in the industry.
“Our students need skills that make them an asset to their employers on the jobsite,” said Deanna Morley, Education Director for SEMCA. “In addition to their four-year trades’ instruction, we will grow our specialty class offerings. Demands across the trade industry has created a huge void in available talent. At SEMCA, we hope to offer students a challenging but marketable education that will provide them with the tools they need to have long, successful careers. This is not just a credential, but a skill that they can take anywhere in the world and perform, and one that will continue to be in high demand for the foreseeable future.”
“In addition to their four-year trades’ instruction, we will grow our specialty class offerings. Demands across the trade industry has created a huge void in available talent.”
All SEMCA apprenticeship students earn OSHA 10 certification during their first year of school. This safety certification gives our students immediate knowledge that makes them a valuable asset on the jobsite, not to mention making them acutely aware of safety from year one. At SEMCA, safety is always stressed, and first thing considered before undergoing any task or job — student safety is job one.
This semester, SEMCA offered classes in: electrical, carpentry, HVAC, and welding. SEMCA has campuses in: Madison Heights, Monroe, Lapeer, Westland, and Grand Blanc.
