The Globe and Mail

In today's hot and pricey housing market, having a disciplined crew that shows up on time and saves a new homeowner $50,000 is practically unheard of. But come Sept. 20, students in Grades 11 and 12 at Stelly's Secondary School in Saanichton will strap on their tool belts and fully dedicate the next five months to building a house as part of a Level 1 carpentry course. "This is one of the few school programs where kids graduate with a specific skill set and then can be immediately employed," says teacher Stu Rhodes, who developed the program for Reynolds Secondary School in Victoria. Mr. Rhodes, 48, picked up his hammer right out of high school, eventually becoming a journeyman carpenter. After 15 years he acquired new tools, earning education and curriculum development degrees and positioning himself as the ideal person to "move kids from the high-school setting to the workplace setting."