Construction Careers Academy offers unique opportunity to NISD students

Northside Independent School District offers a host of opportunities to its students each year – and one of the most unique is Construction Careers Academy, a public magnet school with approximately 550 students from all over the district.

Sharing a campus with Earl Warren High School, CCA opened in 2009, according to CCA principal James Mears, and students at CCA take all core and elective classes alongside Earl Warren High School students. They also share the same athletic and extracurricular opportunities.

According to Mears, any 8thgrade student from a Northside ISD middle school can apply to attend CCA. Currently, 543 students in 9th through 12th grade are enrolled, and Mears is proud of their growing number of female students.

“We have an extensive recruiting process as we reach out to all 8thgrade students in Northside ISD,”

Mears said. “This year, we had around 600 applicants and will be able to enroll 150 of those applicants.”

He added that the mission of CCA is intended to provide an advanced, rigorous curriculum to students in the district, focusing on construction technology, construction management, architectural design, applied engineering and real-world experience, in order to prepare students for higher education or a career in the construction industry.

“Our curriculum is centered around the construction industry,” Mears said. “Students can major in one of the six strands: engineering, architecture, carpentry, construction management, a dual-major electrical/HVAC, and a triple-major, plumbing/pipe-fitting/welding.”

The teachers at CCA bring valuable lessons to the table; Mears noted all instructors are certified teachers employed by Northside ISD.

“We recruit instructors that have industry experience so we can provide our students with industry professionals to better prepare them for careers in their chosen major,” he said.

CCA is a Department of Labor training facility with a strong core group of business partners, allowing students to enroll in apprenticeships and gain valuable hands-on experience over summer break, Christmas and spring break.

In recent years, at the school’s job fair, more than 50 CCA students were offered jobs with business partners.

“Students become industry-ready through real-world experience and industry certifications,” Mears said. “Working together in teams is essential to the success of what our students do ... Teamwork, communication, work ethic, commitment and soft skills are important aspects of what they learn.”

Mears said it’s fulfilling to see how much the students grow between

9th and 12th grade.

“These students come to us with very little knowledge or skill in the major they choose,” he said. “Our teachers work diligently over the four years we have them to prepare them for college or a career in their field of study. We see them grow from young children ... to young men and women prepared for life and the next steps for their future.”

Around 85 percent of CCA students pursue a career in the field they studied, either by attending college or going into the work force, Mears said.

He added that whether a student wants to pursue college or enter the workforce immediately after high school, his team of professionals is committed to providing all students with a quality education that will lead them toward success.

And other districts around the country have begun to take note, expressing interest in touring the school, he said.

“The CCA concept began many years ago as Northside ISD and the business industry realized a real need to train students in the trades industry,” said Mears. “It was a collaboration between the school district and multiple businesses trying to address the severe shortage of skilled workers in the trades industry … This is the only school of its kind that we are aware of.”

He added, “We believe we are the best magnet school in the state. We offer our students something very unique that cannot be found anywhere else.”