GUILFORD COUNTY — The Guilford County Schools on Wednesday announced the school system has earned a coveted national grant of $500,000 for an innovative program to teach students construction trade skills while they rehabilitate housing for people in need.

The school system is one of five grant winners nationwide among more than 200 applicants in a program overseen by the housing agency Fannie Mae. GCS earned the grant in the Fannie Mae Sustainable Communities Innovation Challenge that recognizes innovative approaches to address the nation’s affordable housing challenge.

The GCS program, “Safer Together Green Housing,” will create a model educational program to teach students employable skills in construction while increasing the quality and availability of affordable housing. The school district’s Careers and Technical Education construction program will partner with local agencies focused on affordable housing.

Fannie Mae leaders praised GCS for its innovation.

“The program’s hands-on educational components allow students to work directly with contractors and other technicians to rehabilitate local homes and develop valuable, in-demand skills in construction,” Fannie Mae said, adding that the program will train “a future workforce for well-paying jobs in construction.”

Link to Original Post: https://hpenews.com/news/13504/gcs-selected-for-innovative-education-housing-grant/