STERLING — Matthew Hicks does most of his teaching outside of the classroom.

The vast majority of lessons happen on job sites where students put their construction skills to work as part of the building trades program at the Whiteside Area Career Center.

The program is open to juniors and seniors across nearly 20 area schools, and Hicks has 52 students spanning three classes this year with a capacity of 66 students.

Students learn a variety of skills with projects ranging from building a house from the ground up to remodeling work throughout the community.

Work includes how to frame walls as well as do flooring, siding, and window replacements.

High job demand continues in the area, especially for skilled workers, and Hicks said he’s already receiving calls from contractors interested in the latest batch of students.

“This is more important now than ever,” he said. “We can place students in the workforce as soon as they’re out of school. They have the opportunity of advancing in a career right out of the program.”

Hicks has been the instructor for four years and brings more than 20 years of experience in construction to the job. He got his start in building trades almost 30 years ago when he was part of the program in high school.

“I never dreamed I would be teaching it,” he said.

It’s the “light bulb moments” that make teaching most rewarding, seeing the students grow their skill sets, he said.

“I like to see the growth from the beginning to the end of the year on how they’ve learned and progressed,” Hicks said. “It’s fun to see students go from not knowing anything to then being able to do things on their own.”

WACC Director Josh Johnson said Hicks has grown the program and streamlined the workshop from what it was when he started.

“It can be very difficult for someone in a long standing industry job to step into a classroom and manage 20 students at a time, but Matthew has done a wonderful job at staying in front of the students and always keeping them on task. Matthew has been the driving force to finding a multitude of projects for the students to work on from siding and roofing projects, to windows and flooring projects,” Johnson said. “Ideally, we would build a new home each year to teach every aspect of new construction, however, COVID has thrown a wrench in that as material prices have skyrocketed. Even though projects are somewhat scarce, Matthew has managed to find great opportunities for students to learn from.”

Students’ work can be found throughout the area including a residing project for a local food pantry, framing walls for Dixon Habitat for Humanity and remodeling work for the Regional Office of Education.

There’s also the house students spent the last two years building from scratch on a vacant lot through city funding.

“It’s their house, their project, and they have pride in it,” Hicks said.

Another project in the works will be building six 12-by-16-foot storefronts for Sterling Main Street’s business incubator titled The Shoppes at Grandon Plaza, which will be built in the empty lot at 310 Second Ave.

“This has been a city wide initiative for the City of Sterling and Sterling Main Street to add another destination to the downtown area,” Johnson said.

Students have gone on to find employment in a variety of fields after the program.

“The Building Trades program is an opportunity for students to learn a lifelong skill,” Johnson said. “We understand that every student who enters the program may not want to go into the profession. Many students take the class in search of their own personal knowledge for their future home ownership.”

“This is why Matthew has tried to include remodel projects along with new builds to offer a variety of experiences,” he added. “Those who choose to enter the profession are given every opportunity to learn the trade. Between Matthew and other administrative personnel, we have been able to place students into jobs upon their graduation from the program.”

Go to wacc.cc or find the WACC Building Trades program on Facebook for more information and to follow their progress on job sites.

About Whiteside Area Career Center

WACC is the extended career and technical campus for 16 public high schools and three private schools. It is one of 26 area career centers in the state.

Service: Provides junior and senior level training in building trades, welding and manufacturing, computer technology, digital media arts, Creating Entrepreneurial Opportunities, early childhood education, culinary arts, criminal justice, health occupations, Allied Health, cosmetology, and auto service.

College credit: WACC has articulation and dual credit agreements with Sauk Valley Community College.

History: The Whiteside County Vocational High School opened in the 1966-67 school year. It was reorganized as a cooperative in 1969 as the Whiteside Area Vocational Center so it could provide services to a wider group of schools.

In 2001, consolidation of schools and a new mission to provide career awareness and development for all students prompted a rebranding as the Whiteside Area Career Center.

Member schools: Amboy, Ashton-Franklin Center, Bureau Valley, Dixon, Eastland, Erie, Faith Christian, Forrest Valley, Fulton River Bend, Milledgeville, Morrison, Newman, Ohio, Oregon, Polo, Prophetstown, Rock Falls, Sterling and Unity Christian.