(PSS) — Commissioner of Education Dr. Alfred Ada and Director of Career & Technical Education Dr. Jessica Taylor recently visited Da’ok Academy students at the NMTech campus in Lower Base.
The Public School System and Northern Marianas Technical Institute have launched the “Trading Up” Program — a dual enrollment program where interested PSS Students enroll in NMTech classes and receive credit toward graduation and upon completion of any construction course, a nationally recognized certification from the National Center for Construction and Education Research or NCCER, accredited programs that are offered at NMTech.
A group of 12 students from PSS Da’ok Academy are enrolled in the Trading Up: Construction Craft Laborer program. Students are exposed to post secondary instructional settings and workshops at the NMTech campus four times a week until completion of the following modular programs: Introduction to Power Tools, Introduction to Construction Drawings, Basic Employability Skills, Properties of Concrete, Building Materials, Fasteners, and Adhesives.
Starting even younger, a class of 17 students from Tanapag Middle School are enrolled in the Trading Up: CORE Fundamentals program – a prerequisite for all NCCER construction courses offered at NMTech. Students as young as 13 learn about Basic Safety, Introduction to Construction Math, Introduction to Hand Tools, Basic Communication Skills, and Orientation to the trade.
“This class helped me pass my ASVAB test! Some of the things I learned here were on the ASVAB and I knew the answers!,” said MJ, a senior student at Da’ok Academy.
“This class is preparing us for the real world so we could have something in our life in the future. The things we’ve learned are things that we could use everyday,” said Taisei, another senior student at Da’ok Academy .
Both classes started on October 26, 2022 which was the beginning of the second quarter and will continue until students have completed the required modules to earn a national certification.
Commissioner of Education Dr. Alfred Ada and Director of Career & Technical Education Dr. Jessica Taylor pose for a photo with Da’ok Academy students participating in the Trading Up: Construction Craft Laborer program at NMTech campus in Lower Base.
