Caps off, hard hats on: Modesto students learn how to build construction career
Angel Ayala, an employee of homebuilding company Taylor Morrison, wanted to be a pro baseball player in high school, and then decided to become a Marine. When an accident eliminated his enlistment opportunity, it was construction that provided him a decades-long career.
“If it weren’t for the trades, I don’t know where I’d be today,” Ayala said. “I’ve been very fortunate. I’ve been blessed, I love what I do, and it’s an honor to build memories for homeowners.”
Ayala has an interest in sharing how his experience might open doors for students looking to find their footing or pursue a career in construction.
That passion led to an opportunity for about 33 Downey High School students in construction-related career technical education classes to hear from and observe several professionals running a Taylor Morrison homebuilding site in Manteca called the Poppy at Oakwood Trails community.
Ayala and Taylor Morrison’s Bay Area team contacted MCS last year about introducing students to a real job site. They even went to the district’s construction classes to see the students’ mockups.
“These kids have already got an idea of what they need to do and how to do it. Now they just need someone to connect them with those trades that they’ve been working for the last four years on. So it is a passion of mine just to let kids know, all kids, that there’s other paths,” Ayala said.
Modesto City Schools’ CTE options include dozens of pathways
At Modesto City Schools, the CTE options for students encompass 13 industries and, within those, 65 pathways. In addition to construction, other industries and pathways including arts, media and entertainment, and fashion and interior design. Students are offered unique classes that blend A-G requirements (classes that students applying to the UC and CSU systems must take) with industry-focused preparation.
Downey High student Jousha Hernandez has been in the school’s construction classes for about three years. He is hoping to pursue construction-related apprenticeships after high school and said that the construction visit made him excited at the prospect of pursuing something engineering-related.
“I think [the event is] a good way to get exposed to [construction], because not only do you get to see what’s being built, but you get to talk to people who are building it and managing it, and you can make connections. And possibly after high school, you can talk to those people and get a career,” Hernandez said.
Visiting the Poppy at Oakwood Trails community
Students were asked to remove their baseball caps once they arrived, and to put on hard hats before they traversed the construction site. After reviewing safety precautions, the students were led through homes in various stages of construction to see how the many people involved in a construction site do their jobs.
Ayala explained that the construction industry has a lot of turnover as people broaden their opportunities by jumping from one role in construction to another, like starting with HVAC systems then doing structural engineering.
“This program will allow them to tap into the local trades, the local subcontractors, to be able to have that discussion on what the future may hold, and maybe for even potential employment,” Ayala explained.
The students spoke with several different professionals on the site, including Andrew Myovich, a third-party health and safety consultant for the construction site.
“I’m a klutz when it comes to building things myself. That’s why I’m not on the production side. And yet I’ve still found a viable career in this industry where I can contribute a lot of value,” Myovich said. “That’s kind of the full spectrum, from if you’re a great engineer, you can do all these things with your hands, or maybe you just have a mind for problem-solving. Anything in between that arc, there’s a role for you in this industry.”
