Students participating in the carpentry program at Calera High School say the program is teaching them to become more effective leaders, to work better in a team environment, to anticipate what working on a real-world job site will be like one day.

To celebrate all that has been accomplished during the inaugural year of the program, Calera High School is hosting its first carpentry open house Tuesday, May 10.  The open house event will be held in the classroom and shop area from 3:30-­6:30 p.m.

The program is taught by National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER) certified instructor Doug Forsythe, who brings to the position years of managerial and teaching experience in the real world which allows the student to see life beyond the limits of school walls.  The NCCER provides the curriculum for the program, which is teaching students to follow and accomplish basic safety and carpentry tasks while also providing education in teamwork and soft skills. The curriculum is related to the basic communication, employability and leadership skills the students will need to be successful in today’s ever­changing workplace. Those employability skills received by the students from the NCCER curriculum are positively reinforced by another national organization, typifying the same belief structure of what will help a student become a

“The curriculum is related to the basic communication, employability, and leadership skills the students will need to be successful in today’s ever­changing workplace,” said Forsythe. “Those employability skills received by the students from the NCCER curriculum are positively reinforced by another national organization, typifying the same belief structure of what will help a student become a well-rounded member of the workforce and society as a whole.”

At the end of the school year when the students finish their NCCER training, they will receive industry-recognized credentials. This year, Calera has achieved certification as an accredited training and education facility.