BATA & San Mateo County Office of Education Inspire High School Students into Trades Pathways.
This summer, the Bay Area Tutoring Association (BATA) partnered with the San Mateo County Office of Education (SMCOE) to provide engaging academic enrichment opportunities that kept students learning and growing throughout the summer months.
SMCOE partners with Youth Empowerment Entrepreneurship and Employment (YEEE!), a youth workforce development program rooted in the belief system that education is for liberation. YEEE!’s mission is to prepare young people in three areas – empowerment, entrepreneurship, and employment. During YEEE!’s Summer Trades Academy, High School students are introduced to union apprenticeship pathways for carpentry, plumbing, and electrical trades. Students go through a rigorous application process and accepted students participate in the five-week paid work-based learning program ($20-$23 an hour).
Students passionate in trades programs encounter the challenge of passing the required math test. With that in mind, SMCOE invited BATA to provide 1:1 virtual math tutoring to students participating in YEEE!’s Summer Trades Academy. By providing 1:1 tutoring and mentorship to students, students get the additional support needed to strengthen their confidence and continue into the trades career pathways.
Throughout the five weeks, the nine participating High School students engaged in 40 hours of academic tutoring and 120 hours of hands-on instruction, with an emphasis on Rough Carpentry, Plumbing, and Electrical. At the end of the academy program, students achieved the following knowledge and skills.
- Demonstrate safe jobsite behavior.
- Identify and use basic hand and power tools.
- Read a tape measure, construction drawings, and simple plans.
- Frame a basic wall with studs, plates, headers, and openings.
- Assemble basic rough plumbing systems using PVC, ABS, PEX, and fittings. (lavatory, shower, and toilet)
- Wire basic residential electrical circuits (switch, receptacle, and light fixture)
- Apply construction math to layout, estimating, slope, area, and volume.
Tutoring was integrated into the daily instruction, where each student received 1:1 virtual tutoring. BATA tutors guided students through collaborative problem-solving, hands-on practice, and targeted instruction designed to strengthen mathematical understanding aligned to the academy curriculum. BATA tutors also served as mentors to the students to strengthen their confidence and support their passion in the trades pathways.
Throughout the program, BATA Staff worked closely with the YEEE! Trades Instructors to ensure program quality. Patrick Hautau, YEEE! Trades Academy Instructor mentioned, “BATA’s Regional Partnerships Manager was very easy and pleasant to work with. She was also very engaged ensuring all interns attended all of their sessions”.
Rubie Macaraeg, SCMOE Coordinator, Advocacy & Partnerships, emphasized the importance of providing alternative school students with the structure, support, and real-world experiences they need to succeed. “There are students who need short sprints within the marathon. What they need is structure, routine, and scaffolding. I could really see this working well in our alternative schools, because their schedules are so malleable. Introducing work-readiness and tutoring, students continue getting real-world experience while building their academic skills over time”.
A fundamental part of the YEEE! Trades Academy was the team-based capstone project. The project included an end-of-program showcase where students presented their final portfolio of internship work to local community leaders, including local employers. This year, the showcase was hosted by the Skyline College, Bay Area Entrepreneurship Center located in San Bruno.
BATA is grateful to the San Mateo County Office of Education, the Youth Empowerment, Entrepreneurship, and Employment!, our dedicated tutors,YEEE! instructors, YEEE! Staff, and families, whose partnership made this successful summer of learning possible. Together, we helped create welcoming spaces where students could improve their math, explore, ask questions, solve problems, and develop the confidence they will carry into their career pathways journey. We look forward to continuing our partnership and serving even more Bay Area students in the years ahead.
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