Paul Kane and Bellerose students are building a house in Jensen Lakes this fall as part of a new form of hands-on education.
The Gazette visited the construction site at 145 Jennifer Cres. this week to check in with students enrolled in the St. Albert Public Building Futures program. Organized by the Build Alberta Apprenticeships Foundation, this fullyear course made its St. Albert debut last month. The course sees students don hard-hats and tool belts to build a fullscale house with the help of professional tradespeople.
Building Futures started in 2013 in Rocky View Schools and expanded to Parkland School Division in 2019, said Build Alberta CEO Mike Lees, who was the program’s framing instructor in Parkland. Lees started Build Alberta several years ago to expand the program province-wide, starting with St. Albert. “We’re currently in and probably have been in for the last 40 years a trades shortage,” Lees said, with home-builders struggling to find the skilled workers they need.
Lees said this program aims to get more students interested in the trades to fill this skill gap. The program lets students try every trade involved in home construction and can lead to jobs and apprenticeships upon completion.
St. Albert Public teacher Ken Bishop said 25 Grade 10 students from Paul Kane and Bellerose were enrolled in Building Futures this year.
The program sees students spend half the day building a house with the guidance of tradespeople and the other half taking regular courses with teachers in a garage on the construction site. Students
also take field trips to concrete plants, staircase manufacturers, and other construction sites.
Teaching in a construction zone can be a challenge, Bishop said. “Last week [another crew] was digging foundations for a garage,” he said, and the vibrations from it sent the whole classroom rattling.
It’s not without risk, either, as Paul Kane student Liam Brownlee learned when he smacked one of his fingers with a hammer. “Make sure you practice your aim,” he said, when asked what he learned from the experience.
Bellerose student Jazmyn Minchau said she signed up for Building Futures to have a backup plan in case her dream job of policing doesn’t work out. So far, she’s gotten to experience almost every aspect of home construction through the course, including concrete work, waterproofing, and her personal favourite, framing.
“Once you get one wall up, you just go and the rest of the home comes together,” she said of framing.
Lees said it was great to see students grow and become more willing to try new things and make mistakes during this year-long course. He recalled working with two girls a few years ago in the course who doubted they could build a staircase. Those girls later finished the stairs, climbed them, and gave each other a triumphant high-five at the top. “That’s something that’s difficult to replicate with a math exam,” he said.
Construction at 145 Jennifer Cres. was set to wrap up by May 2025, Bishop said. Minchau said she looked forward to showing her family the house once it was finished next year.
“We can drive by and I can say, ‘I helped build that house.’”
Lees said he hoped to expand Building Futures to the Edmonton Catholic and Sturgeon Public school divisions next fall.
Questions on the Building Futures program in St. Albert should go to: Natasha Pearson, natasha.pearson@spschools.org 587-983-8776
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