WADSWORTH, Ohio — In Summit County, one program across four cities is helping students get interested in the construction industry that's in great need of hands.
Though they may not be able to buy a beer or rent a car, these high school students know how to build a house.
"So, in the carpentry class, we build a house for the community, and then it gets sold," said Edward Davis, a senior at Wadsworth High School.
Austin Miller and Edward Davis are Wadsworth high school seniors in the Four Cities Compact Carpentry program, where students from Norton, Barberton, Wadsworth and Copley get hands-on experience in the carpentry industry.
"You don't stay in the classroom. This amazing house is their classroom. So we come out here every day for two hours a day, and we've worked in the rain and the snow and the sleet and all that stuff," said instructor Chris Kallai, Four Cities Compact Carpentry.
The students start off building storage sheds, then barns, and by their senior year, they are building houses.
But not just any home, an energy-efficient home with the help of Dominion Energy. The program's goal is to give the students real-life experience in a field that could use extra hands.
"It's the staff aides hurting big time right now because the people just aren't out there, and they don't have the skills, or they don't want to put in the time or the hours," Kallai.
Edward and Austin love it so much they plan to start their own business after high school.
"So to start, we're kind of just planning to do literally everything from deck, siding, anything inside installing cabinets, maybe one day getting into remodeling," Edward and Austin said.
To learn more about the program, CLICK HERE.
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