Anyone who visits the Valley Academy for Career and Technology Education campus on State Route 89A in Cottonwood during class hours may be greeted by a firm handshake by one of the construction program students — a gesture instilled by their teacher, Travis Black.
“On the first day of classes, one of the first things I do is stand at the door and shake their hand,” he said.
Handshakes and eye contact are just a few of the soft skills Black has implemented into his curriculum.
He does this because he believes it’s important to teach his students good communication skills before unleashing them into the real world.
“With technology, we aren’t really communicating anymore, and simple mannerisms are getting lost,” he said. “I try to get them engaged and have them talk.”
VACTE offers career and technical education programs to sophomores, juniors and seniors throughout the Verde Valley.
Certificate programs include construction, culinary, fire science, medical assistant, nursing assistant and welding. Students in Black’s construction class study the application of foundation, flooring, framing, roofing, plumbing and more.
Students also have the opportunity to get industry certification in fork-lift operation, Bobcat operation, OSHA — 10 and first aid, according to the VACTE website. It was Black and his students who renovated the new SR 89A campus, which used to be a Flip City Gym.
It’s a venture Black said he is proud of but it was also challenging because he had to break up the project into several parts.
“They taught me patience,” Black said. “I had to let them make their own mistakes so they would remember … it would have been a lot easier for me to step in and do it for them but I knew that’s not how they would learn.”
Skills like construction are needed now more than ever with the Verde Valley becoming a retirement mecca and very few young people staying, Black said.
“They leave but they don’t understand that they can do the same thing here,” Black said. “Contractors are starving for help. They keep calling me asking if I have anyone available to work for them.”
Black is optimistic about the direction VACTE is going and the growth he is seeing in his students.
“They’re all at different levels but a handful of them show a great interest,” he said. “They like to work with tools. You see it in their face.”
Black said he would like to see more kids get involved, working with their hands before they set their eyes on a career.
“Through a program like this, you get a feel for it, and you never know — you may like it,” he said. “Working with your hands also comes with results. Whatever you learn, you see it.”
Working with one’s hands and masonry are some of the skills Black fears are getting lost over time.
Right now, Black and VACTE Superintendent Bob Weir are working on a curriculum for non-credit adult programs to teach skills in drywall, painting, tool safety and more.
“We don’t pass these skills on and very few people know how to do them … if we don’t pass it on, it’s going to be gone forever,” Black said.
Kelcie Grega can be reached at 634-8551, or email kgrega@larsonnewspapers.com
