Students Build Tiny Houses and Create Brighter Futures

Dozens of students from local high schools donned their safety equipment and tool belts to grow their skillset and make a difference in the community by building tiny houses.

The San Diego County Office of Education (SDCOE) joined with The Warrior Village Project and WorkforceConnect to sponsor the inaugural Tiny Houses Build Day at host Associated General Contractors Apprenticeship & Training Trust facility in Lakeside on Sept. 18.

More than 70 students from five San Diego County high schools – San Marcos, San Pasqual (Escondido), Rancho Buena Vista (Vista), Poway, and La Jolla – met and worked with industry professionals to construct six movable tiny houses.

The event provided an opportunity for students to learn about careers in construction as well as get some hands-on experience. In addition, educational leaders from across the county had the opportunity to hear from a panel of speakers about how they could incorporate homebuilding programs into their career technical education programs. They discussed the additional significant benefits for the community to provide affordable, permanent housing solutions to homeless veterans and underserved communities.

“As we look to meeting the labor market needs of the region and matching them with educational pathways, partnerships like this that provide real-life experiences are great for our students,” said Alexander Becker, a College and Career Readiness program specialist at SDCOE. “It is especially gratifying when we can serve our students, our community, and our veterans and come up with solutions to benefit the entire region.”

As government agencies face ever increasing pressure to provide affordable housing, and educators look to bolster career technical education programs for their students, this is another example of how we are working with the community to find innovative ways to step up and provide creative, multifaceted solutions.