Linc Moss Leads Waxahachie ISD Construction Technology Students on Tour of Ramtech Facilities
Ramtech was pleased to welcome two groups of Waxahachie ISD high school students who joined us on Tuesday and Wednesday of last week to receive a modular construction presentation and a manufacturing plant tour by Ramtech president Linc Moss.
Linc was able to show the attendees how Ramtech develops relocatable and permanent modular building projects and explained the differences inherent in modular construction versus traditional site-built construction. The students also got to see the different stages of the manufacturing process for the Vance Air Force Base Training Squadron Building which is currently online in our manufacturing plant.
Led by Curtis Green, the construction science teacher at the Waxahachie High School, all of the students are part of Waxahachie’s Construction Technology program. This curriculum is part of the high school’s Architecture and Construction career cluster, one of 15 nationally recognized Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs that the school district offers. The primary goal of CTE programs is to help students develop basic career knowledge that can help them obtain a job after graduation or pursue industry related career paths in college.
Waxahachie ISD’s construction technology program focuses on teaching students construction related math, safety measures, a basic understanding of construction drawings, and how to use hand and power tools. They can also develop proficiency in basic rigging, communication, employability, and materials handling. Learning each of these skills can then lead to receiving a core certification as well as a construction technology certificate from the National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER), a nonprofit credentialing organization that standardizes training in the construction industry.
With the passage of House Bill 5 in the 2013 Texas legislative session, every student in the state must take some sequence of courses within the CTE career cluster. The Waxahachie CTE programs are all housed in the Billy Bates Career & Technical Education Center, a 100,000 square foot facility that includes 20 classrooms, eight computer labs, two science labs, a six-bay automotive shop, agricultural mechanics lab, manufacturing shop, and an engineering/robotics space lab. The facility also contains a video studio, health science clinic, cosmetology salon, and commercial kitchen and restaurant. There are currently 80 participants in the Waxahachie construction technology program, with over 2,100 total students in all programs for the 2018-2019 school year including students from area schools outside the district who are not afforded the same classes in their schools. With over 37,000 construction jobs now available in the DFW area alone, the future is bright for those with an NCCER certification who can earn anywhere from $15-$23 per hour starting right out of high school.
