A program at John F. Kennedy High School in Paterson is teaching students carpentry skills and giving them a head start on an in-demand career. The program, created by the United Brotherhood of Carpenters, is designed to introduce high school students to various carpentry trades under the direction of local union carpenters. It doesn’t just allow students to “test drive” a viable career while in school; it also allows them to earn while they learn.

“We are in the process of restructuring all of our high schools into pathways and one of the pathways [is] carpentry,” said Eileen Shafer, superintendent of Paterson Public Schools.

“The students are earning wages as soon as they start the apprenticeship program,” said Tomasz Wyzga, council representative of the Eastern Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters.