Parkland College’s trades program providing students hands-on, construction training

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WCIA) — Working in construction zones is not for the weak, it takes the right kind of person for the job. At Parkland College in Champaign, the trades program is preparing the next generation to gear up to be the next ones building roads, houses, and everything in between.

Leading that trades program, you’ll find Kory Allred with land surveying, Dustin Stuart with construction management, and many others paving a path for the next generation.

“Surveyors are the first ones on the job site and the last ones on the job site,” Allred described.

He ensures they’re ready to work in any construction zone.

“Land surveying is making maps, very detailed maps,” he explained.

So, if you’re buying or selling a house, they work with engineers to double-check the boundary lines. In fact, Allred said land surveyors are the only people who can do that in the United States.

“There’s a tremendous need for surveyors because nobody knows about it right now,” Allred said.

Besides just applying their skills outside, students can also head inside and work in a lab, complete with a house project inside.

Ever since Parkland got funding approved for it about four years ago, it has allowed students to set a foundation…literally and figuratively.

“It’s always under construction, things are always changing, we’re always adding things to it,” Dustin Stuart, the construction management director, said. “We’re adding different examples of siding, roofing, flooring, things like that.”

For students, it’s the kind of classroom they’ve always dreamed of.

Nicholas Wetzel recently wrapped up his senior year at St. Joseph-Odgen High School but spent mornings at Parkland College as part of a duel-credit program. Now, he’s getting ready for his freshman year as a full-time Parkland student in the fall.

“Inside the house, we built a bunch of walls,” he explained. “There were full electrical, full plumbing, full drywall painted finished walls.”

With only a year under his belt, Wetzel has already started to narrow down some of his potential career paths. The soon-to-be freshman hopes to become a plumber or sprinkler fitter one day.

For Markus Miguel, a third-year Parkland student who is balancing a full-time job at the same time, he dreams of working on bridges along the coast.

Both students are forever thankful to the Parkland program for not only paving new paths but also happy to have teachers leading them every step of the way.

“He wants us to be set for the future, and because of that, we all want to learn. It’s a really good class environment,” Wetzel said when describing his teacher, Dustin Stuart.

If you’d like to learn more information about Parkland’s Trades program, visit this link .

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