What's Happening at Ranken Technical College

Ranken's Latest Video

Check out the College's latest video on YouTube. This video features information about the College, our five technical divisions, and our campus life.

Missouri SkillsUSA Leadership and Skills Conference 2009 Event Winners

Missouri SkillsUSA Leadership and Skills Conference, 2009 Event Winners

20 Ranken students from six of our technical departments participated in the SkillsUSA completion in Linn, MO last week. Eight of those students will be moving on to the national competition in June.

See full list of winners after the jump.

ART Participates in MAGIC summer camp

Missy Borchardt, a faculty member in architectural technology, and Annsih Serud, a current architecture student, participated in the Mentoring A Girl In Construction (MAGIC) camp this summer. MAGIC summer camp is designed to offer high school girls the opportunity to learn about the various avenues of employment for women in the construction industry.

The girls also receive hands-on training in the basic skills of carpentry, electrical, and welding. During this one-week day camp the girls make new friends, learn new talents, and explore career options that they have might not have ever considered. They are also introduced to successful women working in all phases of construction.

The girls, clad in their pink hard hats, participated in various projects throughout the week to give them a hands-on look at what its like to work in the construction industry. The week included an overview of safety on the job site, participation in a hand and power tool demonstration, creating a lamp to take home and a field trip to a job site.

Missy and Serud were among the five guests who were invited to speak to the girls about what its like to be a woman in the construction industry. “It was rewarding to see these young girls have an interest in our trade and pursue a great opportunity into the trade”, says Missy, “It was also a great opportunity for us to network with other female professionals”.

To learn more about MAGIC summer camp and to see a video of the girls completing their projects, visit their website at http://www.mowit.org/mentoringagirlinconstructionsummercamp 

Channel 11 covers Ranken's RCDC Open House

CW11 news came to Ranken's open house last weekend and covered the event - watch the video at the link below.

Ranken Technical College recently sponsored the construction of two new homes in North St. Louis. A group of students enrolled in the school's construction program built the homes. "We actually buy vacant lots, we build brand new houses on them and then we sell them to help beautify the neighborhood," said Donald Pohl, Ranken Technical College.

Ranken Volunteers in the Community - Cole Elementary

Students from Ranken Technical College recently participated in a volunteer carpentry project at Cole Elementary School. Front row, from left, are Student Government Association Adviser Jared Piel and students Andrew Bridges, Jake Phelps, Joe Puglisi, Jason Schoemehl and Mariam Thompson. Back row, from left, are students Chris Bunch, Mike Ehrenstrom, Derek Kopp, Brian Hay and Jacob Shuster.

Open house to be held Saturday at homes built by Ranken students

Program provides affordable housing in north St. Louis

WHAT
Ranken Technical College’s Ranken Community Development Corporation Open House

WHEN
11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday (May 3)

WHERE
4015 & 4019 Cook Ave. (near Ranken Technical College)
St. Louis, MO 63113

DETAILS...

Graduation!

Building the houses this year was an incredible experience. I got a taste of what the carpentry field is really like. Although we weren’t getting paid to work we got used to working with each other as a team and getting things done.

The instructors were excellent and in my opinion were very knowledgeable. I am proud of my accomplishments that I have done while at Ranken. Besides the Certificates that we got such as our VSI vinyl siding certification and OSHA card, I received a certificate from the Phi Theta Kappa Honor society for carrying a three point zero grade point average. I feel that the strict codes which Ranken enforced on all students is a great idea. It gives you a sense of professionalism, and that is what people should be looking for if they want to come to Ranken. It's not just about showing up and getting a diploma after two years, it's way more than that. The strict rules such as shaving, uniforms and attendance teach the students discipline. Discipline is probably the main thing that employers are looking for because it's not about just knowing how to do what you do, it's about doing it with pride and precision.

Now that I have gotten through the department I plan on joining the Carpenters Union and I also plan to work on the Illinois side of the river. I hope to gain great experience and one day start my own company.

More Drywall

We are still working on drywall on the fourth house and we should be done sometime next week. We also started building the porches and will continue to do so next week.

We went to a union job fair on Wednesday and we didn’t have classes. The union job fair was started off by the representative speaking for a little bit about the union. After he was done speaking we got to go around to various employers and talk to them about what they had to offer. After the job fair we went to their training facility and took a tour of the place.

We came back and finished out the week with the drywall and porches. We only have four days left until graduation so we won't get to much more done on the houses, therefore someone else will have to finish them. I have been trying to get squared away with getting a job and I am still looking but I have a few meetings with employers when I graduate.

Finished Drywalling 2nd House

This week we finished up the dry walling on the second house. Another student and myself worked on the drywall in the stairway going down to the basement. The stairway had to have dry wall for moisture, otherwise known as "green board".

The green board has to be attached with special screws that are coated so that they won't rust away.

We attached the green board to studs that were placed in the concrete when they poured the basements. We also had to put vinyl trim around the edges at the bottom of the stairway because the whole basement isn’t getting finished. After we were done with the stairway we finished going over the whole house and making sure that everything was finished so that the finishers could come in and mud and tape the dry wall.

We started working on the third house and we have it about fifty percent done. We also worked on the stairway in the third house, and it is about finished. 

Drywall

We are still working on drywall on the fourth house and we should be done sometime next week. We also started building the porches and will continue to do so next week.

We went to a union job fair on Wednesday and we didn’t have classes. The union job fair was started off by the representative speaking for a little bit about the union. After he was done speaking we got to go around to various employers and talk to them about what they had to offer. After the job fair we went to their training facility and took a tour of the place.

We came back and finished out the week with the drywall and porches. We only have four days left until graduation so we won't get to much more done on the houses, therefore someone else will have to finish them. I have been trying to get squared away with getting a job and I am still looking but I have a few meetings with employers when I graduate.