With annual hiring for welders, construction laborers, electricians, and other skills expected to be more than 20 times the projected annual increase in net new jobs through 2032, trade skills training is in high demand. Hands-on learning is key to inspiring our future workforce to pursue these careers and prepare them for workplace success. Without hands-on learning, students may struggle to grasp just what these careers would be like.
In a recent webinar, we shared some hands-on, open-and-go trades skills training kits that help students explore fundamental concepts. Read on find out what they had to say about the benefits of incorporating hands-on learning into trade skills programs and how Realityworks’ kits enhance student engagement and retention.
Tips for Teaching Today’s Students
Generation Z makes up 20% of the US population and 51% of them are students. Understanding the relevancy of what they’re learning is important to them. They want to know why they’re learning what they are and how it applies to the real world. It’s important to note that these students are different from millennials. They’re different in how they learn and how they view the world. They have even shorter attention spans, better technology skills, and stronger desire for real-world learning.
Generation Z grew up with iPhones and social media. They typically prefer visual communication using technology. This generation wants to learn on their own terms with interactive, bite-size learning that can quickly be consumed, understood, and shared. With this generation, you want to give your students more than just the textbook – add in group work and activities.
Focusing on engagement and providing interactive, hands-on learning opportunities can also go a long way. Today’s students are used to having something in their hands, whether it’s a cell phone or a fidget spinner. If you can put an engaging hands-on learning tool in the place of one of their gadgets, they will pay attention.
How Kits Can Benefit Your Classroom
Classroom kits are easy to use and offer engaging, open-and-go learning experiences for students. Better yet, those learning experiences address both hard and soft skills. For example, assignments that involve collaboration will help your students hone their ability to work in teams, an essential soft skill. Another benefit of classroom kits are the manipulatives that accompany them. Manipulatives give students a deeper understanding of complex concepts.
The more relevant you can make your lessons, the more your students will engage with the content and connect what their learning to the real world. We’ve paired our kits with standards-aligned lessons and activities that integrate different learning methods, such as scenario-based learning, to give students plenty of opportunities to collaborate, learn from each other, and work on soft skills like communication and problem solving.
To maximize the use of kits in your classroom, start by setting up stations around the room with kit activity components. To determine how many stations you’ll need, divide the number students by the number of items per activity. Use student volunteers or student teachers to help prepare the kit activities. A day or two before the activity day, task the volunteers with counting out the number of needed items for the stations.
4 Trade Skills Training Kits for Addressing Fundamental Skills
Now that we have some good ideas for teaching today’s students and understand how kits can benefit the classroom, let’s look at some engaging trades skills training kits.
1. Weld Defects Classroom Kit
We created our Weld Defects Classroom Kit to give teachers an easy, portable way to help students learn to identify and correct common weld defects and discontinuities. This kit contains 13 plastic models, depicting 12 of the most common welding defects as well as one quality weld. Watch the video below to get a close-up look at everything this kit comes with.
2. Common Welding Joints Kit
Inspired by our Weld Defects Classroom Kit, the Common Welding Joints Kit was created to teach students how to identify the most common welding joints. Each 10-piece kit includes both SMAW and GMAW coupon examples made of lightweight plastic, so they’re easy to reference and examine in class. The kit also includes 12 flashcards of common welding joints, which offer detailed images and tips, plus lessons that address joint types, proper welding techniques, and how to prevent welding issues.
3. Electrical Wiring Kit
Our Electrical Wiring Kit is a safe, hands-on learning aid for teaching students how to wire common electrical circuits. It includes a desktop-sized wall panel, accessories, and a battery-operated assessment kit. The assessment kit includes a breakout box, light and outlet socket testers, cables, and an assessment remote. Watch the demonstration below for an in-depth look at this unique kit.
4. Measurement Math Training Kit
Our Measurement Math Training Kit includes five sets of measurement tools, plus curriculum, student workbooks, and an instructor guide. The curriculum is in both online and print formats, allowing for multiple learning and teaching styles. The seven-lesson curriculum covers topics such as metric and standard readings.
Additional Resources
Looking for more resources and activities for your trade skills classes?
- Download our free Basic Trade Skills Concepts Guide
- Explore our trade skills implementation resources
