Silverwood partners with local schools to teach students construction trades

Rene Ray De La Cruz, Victorville Daily Press
·4 min read
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The developer of the master-planned community of Silverwood in Hesperia is working with the career pathways program to educate high school and college students.
The developer of the master-planned community of Silverwood in Hesperia is working with the career pathways program to educate high school and college students.

As construction crews continue to work on the master-planned community of Silverwood, the developer is engaging with the career pathways program to educate local high school and college students.

Silverwood recently announced active engagement with the career pathways program in partnership with the Hesperia Unified School District, Mountain Desert Career Pathways, Victor Valley Community College, and San Bernardino County Workforce Development.

DMB Development officials said the partnership provides educational offerings for local students to create career opportunities for builders, subcontractors, consultants, and vendors.

The partnership with the Hesperia Unified career pathways program will help local students through hands-on building and construction trade education with an emphasis on woodworking, automotive, welding, construction, art, and agriculture.

The learn-by-doing program will also offer students internships, externships, and job shadowing opportunities to pursue future careers at Silverwood and the surrounding communities.

“At the heart of Silverwood is community, and it is important to DMB Development to seamlessly integrate the local community into this project through our career pathways program,” said Jonathan Weldy, Silverwood director of development, who leads the efforts on the Silverwood team and oversees the career pathways program.

Weldy said the developer takes great pride in the fact Silverwood will not only deliver much-needed attainable housing inventory and offer a warm, welcoming atmosphere in the form of the "small town California" feel but will also create job opportunities for young adults and established professionals alike.

“The project is expected to create a multi-billion-dollar economic impact on Hesperia, and the Mojave River Valley, and we look forward to engaging with the local community to create opportunities within the region,” Weldy said.

An army of earth movers continue to reconfigure hundreds of acres for Phase 1 of the Silverwood master-planned community in south Hesperia.
An army of earth movers continue to reconfigure hundreds of acres for Phase 1 of the Silverwood master-planned community in south Hesperia.

Career pathways program 

Silverwood’s involvement in the career pathways program kicked off the 2022-2023 school year, and in April, the development was awarded the Mountain Desert Career Pathways’ 2023 Regional Partner of the Year.

During this time, Silverwood hosted counselors, teachers, and district advisors to share the development project plans and brainstorm the career pathways program.

Following the exploratory visit, high school students toured Silverwood and were introduced to the development team while Apple Valley High students job-shadowed Silverwood’s drone team.

Select students also participated in a biweekly experiential externship which included visiting and learning from the local government professionals at the city of Hesperia along with real estate professionals, school architects, construction teams, and the Pacific Communities home construction project.

The Silverwood team said they are excited to continue growing the program in partnership with local faculty to ensure collaboration and engagement while continuing to offer internships, externships, and job shadowing.

The goal of the developer remains to reinvest in the local community through job creation and career development as they look to add merchant builders, subcontractors, vendors, and consultants to the team.

Art project

Capitalizing on another avenue to engage with the local community, Silverwood will integrate public art created by both local students and professionals into the community’s various phases.

As part of the career pathways program, Silverwood is looking to partner with local high school students to collaborate with area artisans who will help them conceive and craft an installation of their own while coaching them on what a future career in the arts looks like.

At the grand opening, Silverwood plans to unveil three installations, including one created by students and two by local artists, raising the visibility of artisans from the region while cultivating a cultural identity for its residents.

Silverwood 

The Silverwood development is spearheaded by DMB Development. For more than 30 years, the company has created master-planned communities across the country from Ladera Ranch in California to Verrado in Arizona.

The entire Silverwood project spans 9,366 acres for 15,633 dwelling units, 700,00 square feet of commercial space, and nearly 5,000 acres for parks and open space.

The site lies north of Silverwood Lake, located on the West Fork Mojave River, a tributary of the river in the San Bernardino Mountains.

Silverwood General Manager John Ohanian told the Daily Press the project includes nine construction phases that will take about 20 years to develop.

The grand opening of Phase 1 is slated for summer 2024, which will include the debut of its welcome center and model home park, Silverwood officials said.

The first homes in Phase I will begin construction sometime in 2024, according to Ohanian. Located south of Ranchero Road and near I Avenue, Phase 1 will include 2,093 dwelling units consisting of homes, condos, and flats.

For more information on Silverwood, visit silverwoodcalifornia.com.

Daily Press reporter Rene Ray De La Cruz may be reached at 760-951-6227 or RDeLaCruz@VVDailyPress.com. Follow him on Twitter @DP_ReneDeLaCruz

This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Silverwood partners with school on teaching trade skills