A new vocational program will be introduced at South San Francisco High School next school year. It will be the first program to build a career path for occupations such as electrician, plumber, carpenter, estimator and building inspector.
At a June 8 meeting, the Trustees approved the new Crafts elective course for ninth through twelfth graders. The course will ultimately be the first of a three-step path to a career in a range of occupations that are expected to be in high demand for years to come.
“I appreciate very much. I’ve been waiting for this and my parents have teased me about it,” Trustee Mina Richardson said.
The program originally ran as a pilot in the 2022-23 school year, replacing an elective at the wood shop that was canceled due to staff shortages, district officials said in a report.
It was selected after staff reviewed labor market information that suggests trade jobs will be in high demand and trade wages are typically above minimum wage, the report said.
Through the program, students learn skills such as carpentry, drywall, electrical, flooring, painting, plumbing, roofing, masonry, welding, and reading blueprints, as well as building safety, foundations, framing, and the proper use of tools.
During the same session, the Board also approved an expanded Ethnic Studies program in line with state law requiring all high school graduates to take at least one Ethnic Studies course.
The course is designed to provide students with the tools to examine race, gender, class, ethnicity, and other identities in the United States and to provide students with insights into communities not often represented in the course materials to explore social Promoting change, according to the employee report by the Management Board.
The district has offered the course as an elective for years and will continue to test the program as an elective next year, but the state will require the class for graduation beginning in the class of 2030 or for students entering high school in 2026.
“These courses were developed by SSFUSD teachers in a cross-school collaboration and are aligned with school and district priorities and California curriculum standards,” the staff report reads.
