When Brendan Swiss graduated from Petoskey High School in June 2025, he got hired by a familiar business to begin his career in construction – Josh Swiss Rebuilding and Remodeling, owned by his dad.
It was certainly not the first time he had worked for his dad. This time, though, he’s getting paid.
“I started helping out when I was 12, just sweeping and following the other guys around trying to learn from watching them,” said Swiss, 19. “But it isn’t very easy to learn without actually doing it yourself. I wasn’t super excited about building when I first started because the stuff I was doing wasn’t very fun, but I have grown to like it as I have learned more and am able to do more things that I enjoy.”
Now that he’s a full-time employee, Swiss is exploring tasks that align more with his interests and skills, many of which were formed during his years taking Construction Trades at Petoskey High School.
“It was definitely my favorite class in high school, and I learned so much about construction,” said Swiss.
Swiss was recently celebrated by Char-Em ISD at a “Career Tech to Careers” signing event. Career Tech to Careers events were established by Char-Em’s Career and Technical Education Department to recognize high school students who pursue careers after graduation based in part on their enrollment in career tech classes in high school.
Swiss spent two years in the construction program at PHS, and he said the skills he learned helped prepare him to enter the workforce. He also took a year of automotive class, also a career tech program. In addition, during his senior year Swiss participated in the co-op program, or “work-based learning,” that has been reignited by Char-Em ISD Career and Technical Education staff, along with Jobs for Michigan’s Graduates (JMG) specialists from Northwest Michigan Works. JMG specialists work in every Char-Em ISD school district in Emmet, Charlevoix, and northern Antrim counties.
Co-op allows students to work in career fields of interest with local employers for part of the school day, earning wages and credits toward graduation and honing work skills for after graduation. Swiss was able to work for his dad’s construction company to gain even further experience before graduation.
“I went to school for 3 hours and then to work for 3 hours. I would recommend that highly to students, as it helped me get a little bit ahead skill wise and money wise,” said Swiss. “The JMG staff were all a big help to me, too.”
Danielle Corcoran was one JMG specialist who spent time coaching Swiss through co-op and helping to prepare him for the world of work.
“Brendan has always been a student who submitted his time sheets promptly, communicated whenever needs arose, and consistently demonstrated a strong work ethic,” said Corcoran. “He is eager to learn new skills within his trade – skills that will set him apart from others. I believe that his co-op experience provided him with clear direction, allowing him to move from high school straight into a career he truly enjoys.”
Swiss said he’s looking forward to gaining more skills in his main areas of interest, such as framing and woodworking. He encourages other high schoolers to take career tech courses for the hands-on learning they develop for personal and career development.
“Even if you don’t plan on going into one of these fields as a career, they are great classes,” Swiss said. “I didn’t do well sitting still in class, so for me it was great to have these classes where we worked on projects.”
The recent signing event took place back at PHS, inside the on-site house under construction by this year’s construction trades students, under instructor Jake Giffin.
“For students who are going right into careers after graduation, it really comes down to work ethic and desire to learn the trade,” said Giffin. “Brendan had those qualities as a student in my class. He was most interested in learning framing, so a lot of times when I find out what a student has the most interest in, I try to push them toward that skill and help them develop it more.”
Swiss agreed, adding that he also earned his OSHA 10 certification in the class – a professional credential indicating completion of a 10-hour safety program, teaching hazard recognition, prevention, and U.S. Department of Labor safety standards, rights, and responsibilities. He said the class was very beneficial in teaching him about different safety codes.
“The best thing you can do,” he said, “is learn a skilled trade.”
As part of the ISD’s Career Tech to Careers events, Swiss received a $200 gift card to Tractor Supply from the Mansfield Family Foundation, which has generously supported the ISD’s signing events and career tech initiatives for many years.
Photo caption:
Pictured at a recent Career Tech to Careers signing event for Brendan Swiss (seated, center) are (seated, from left) Jake Giffin, Petoskey High School Construction Trades teacher; Jim Rummer, Char-Em ISD Career and Technical Education Director; Cathy Schanski, Jobs for Michigan’s Graduates (JMG) specialist; (back row, from left) Sarah MacLean, Petoskey High School counselor; Tracy Beckley, Youth Services Regional Director, Northwest Michigan Works!; Josh and Amanda Swiss, Brendan’s parents; Scott Koziol, Char-Em ISD Superintendent; Jeff Leslie, Petoskey Public Schools Superintendent; and Tory Thrush, Career/College Readiness Consultant for Char-Em ISD.