A new, two-year training program in construction trades launched last fall at Summit High School, supported by the Summit County Builders Association (SCBA), The Rotary Club, The Town of Silverthorne, Pinnacle Mountain Homes, Summit Homes Construction, and Allan Guerra Architecture. The program, called Careers in Construction Colorado, equips students to learn basic construction skills and exposes them to a range of skilled-labor jobs in fields such as electrical, plumbing, framing, carpentry, welding, and more.  

“CICC is an intersection of values for us,” says Chris Renner, founder and CEO of The Pinnacle Companies. “CICC brings together the construction industry, the increasing local need for skilled labor, the importance of education, and the opportunity to empower students with an alternative path to success that doesn’t include the cost of a four-year college degree.” 

Students in the first year of CICC learn construction math, tool identification, construction materials, and more, and earn their OSHA 10 Safety Training Certificate. Then they move on to learning how to use tools effectively—“everything from the basics, like how to use a screwdriver and a measuring tape to how to manage nail guns and chop saws,” says Paul Camillo, president of the SCBA. In the second year, the students will move on to more advanced work in building, such as the set for one of the theatrical productions as the school. 

“The program started in Colorado Springs,” Camillo says, “And when our team went down there, we saw students building a modular house. It’s really impressive what these students can learn and accomplish through this curriculum.” 

Careers in Construction Colorado currently runs in 48 high schools in the Centennial State and serves more than 2,000 students.  

Chad Rowe, President of Construction at Pinnacle Mountain Homes, helps oversee an important element of the program at Summit High School. “We bring in speakers from the industry to share what they do, what their world looks like on a day-to-day basis,” Rowe says. So far, this academic year, a safety and risk manager has come to talk about safety on job sites, Rowe has given a lesson on mathematics in framing, and an electrician demonstrated how to wire a wall. A line foreman at Xcel will come speak about what it’s like to work in electrical and gas industries, and a plumber (and recent grade) will share his experience in the industry. “We can awaken the idea in some of these students, the ones for whom a four-year school isn’t a good fit, that there are other paths to being successful in your community and in life,” Rowe says. “Summit County is an expensive place to live, and we want the students who graduate from our schools to figure out a way to work and live here. Plus, there’s a shortage of employees in every single trade we use at Pinnacle.” 

Camillo agrees that long-term, the program could address the dire need for tradespeople in Summit County. He’s already seen some of his fellow builders step up to offer internships to students in the CICC program. “This is a community-wide effort,” he says. “CICC offers exposure for kids who want to be architects and engineers as well as for kids who aren’t going to four-year colleges and want to learn a trade,” says Camillo. “It’s a win for our entire industry and for the young men and women in the program.”