Enrollment in SCC construction program slows, despite abundance of jobs

When it comes to careers, the trades are a rapidly growing industry.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, more than 200,000 jobs in construction alone have been added over the last year. 

While demand is high, there’s still a stigma that comes with these types of hands-on jobs; stigmas of not making much money, or being a “dirty job”.

Despite this, a program at Southeast Community College wants to encourage students to pursue these high-demand careers, often before they even step on campus.

Ron Petsch has been at SCC for more than four decades, and has noticed a fluctuation in interest for the Building Construction Technology program.

“Enrollment has been somewhat slow,” Petsch said.

Petsch cited the lack of exposure in high school as the biggest problem in bringing in students.

“One of the difficulties in attracting students is high schools might have limited budgets, and some of them have phased out the vocational programs,” Petsch said.

The loss of these programs often comes from not having enough teachers to lead the courses, or not enough interest to keep them up.

According to Petsch, the wages in the trade job field are the highest he’s ever seen, but students and parents just aren’t seeing that.

That doesn’t apply to everyone, though.

Kyle Pankoke recently graduated from the Building Construction program at SCC.

Growing up, he’d always been around construction, so he wasn’t sure college was the route he needed to take. However, it didn’t take long after enrolling for that idea to change.

“Coming here I learned new, better ways of doing things, and it’s been well worth it,” Pankoke said.

Kyle says the problem solving skills he’s learned through his courses have better prepared him for work on a job sire.

Students in the program learn everything from carpentry to drafting and estimating.  At the end of the term, they even build an entire house that’s sold at auction.

All of these tools give them valuable experience for a field that will always be in need.

For Kyle, it’s a career he’ll never stop reaping the benefits from.

“I love working with my hands, and you’re working with your heart at the same time you know – you’re directly tied to someone’s life,” Pankoke said.

The Building Construction Technology program is housed at Southeast Community College’s Milford campus.

They currently have 28 students enrolled for next year.  To find out more, click here.