Hammering home her future goals

High school student Emily Grace Michaud works on a table top in the Capital Region BOCES Building Trades program this week.

Michaud, a senior from Voorheesville, aspires to a career working in a construction union.

“I hope to do framing, definitely something hands-on and working with wood,” she said.

“I like working with wood. I actually chose building trades because I want to go into the industry and there aren’t a lot of women who do it and I want to change that,” Michaud added.

The Voorheesville teen is one of 87 students enrolled in the Building Trades program at Career & Technical Education Center. Offered on the Albany and Schoharie campuses, the program provides students valuable construction industry experience through on- and off-campus projects as they prepare for careers in the industry.

Throughout October, Capital Region BOCES—in conjunction with its business and higher education partners—is celebrating National Careers in Construction Month by highlighting the multitude of careers and opportunities that exist in the industry and the divergent population of students enrolled at BOCES in preparation for those careers.