Space to be built for vocational training | News, Sports, Jobs

Photo of Deb Gau Representatives from Marshall’s Public Schools, including Director of Business Services Dion Caron, teacher Mike Braithwaite and school board member Matt Coleman, look at the open space at the back of a school site. technical and vocational education in Marshall.

MARSHALL – The planning process to start a vocational and technical training center (CTE) in Marshall is still underway. But on Monday, members of the Marshall School Board got a feel for what the new facilities would look like.

School board members toured the property that the Marshall Public School District is purchasing on US Highway 59 in Marshall. Some of the buildings they passed through are in need of renovation, but MPS Superintendent Jeremy Williams said the visit gave some idea of ​​the size and location of the facilities.

“There are a lot of square feet here” for welding training and other programs, Williams said.

The district plans to hold classes, including welding, automotive and certified nursing assistants, on the property next fall.

Williams guided school board members through four existing buildings on the property. A building has water damage that will need to be repaired, and other improvements will need to be made before classes can move in. Once the existing structure has been gutted, “We can have at least two classrooms in the front part of the building”, he said.

Another part of the building had room for about five car bays, Williams said. Two other sheds on the property will work well for the storage of welding and auto shop equipment, as well as for additional cold storage. The cold storage building could also potentially serve as space for construction programs, he said.

The property also included about 4.5 acres of open space that could potentially be used, teacher Mike Braithwaite said.

Preparatory work for the CTE center will not just involve renovating the building, school district staff said on Monday. In her monthly report to the school board, MPS Director of Teaching and Learning Beth Ritter said she, Williams and a small group of teachers visited Sioux Falls CTE Academy High School.

“Two of our teachers, Mike Braithwaite and Jon Schreurs, will be returning later this month to follow a teacher for a day to get ideas and ideas on how to teach Automotive Trades courses and construction. “ Ritter said.

“It was a really fun trip. We’ve had a lot of great ideas about what this instruction can look like and how this facility works across the district ”, Williams said.

MPS will also host a CTE summit at the Red Baron Arena and Expo on Friday. Ritter said local businessmen have been invited to talk about the workforce needs in the community and how this could help shape the educational programs at the CTE Center.