Career Tech to Careers signing event: Collin Lang, Harbor Springs graduate, and Declan McNulty, Petoskey graduate, at Wentworth Builders
Two recent local graduates are adding to the construction workforce in Northern Michigan and to Wentworth Builder’s growing staff of young, enthusiastic workers.
Collin Lang, a 2025 Harbor Springs High School graduate, and Declan McNulty, a 2024 Petoskey High School graduate, are now coworkers at the Harbor Springs construction company known for its quality craftsmanship and commitment to excellence.
Both young men were recently celebrated with a “Career Tech to Careers” signing event, an initiative established by Char-Em ISD’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.
McNulty, 19, is finding his niche in custom woodworking, skills he first developed at PHS in the Construction Trades career tech classroom with instructor Jake Giffin. He also took drafting classes with Lauren Liebler, which gave him experience in CAD and opened up a particular interest in the field of custom woodworking. At Wentworth, he has been working mostly on cabinets and shelves.
“In my building trades class, I learned that I really like finish carpentry and working with wood more so than working on larger field site stuff,” McNulty said.
“That class was so great because it was run like a job site,” he added. “We were building an actual house, so we had to work on scheduling trades to come in and follow deadlines. It felt like we were a team on a job site in the real world.”
He said his drafting teacher, Liebler, was aware of a job opening at Wentworth and encouraged him to apply. “I came in and met with them, we went and looked at job sites and talked about their expectations and values,” said McNulty. “It felt like a great fit for me.”
Lang’s areas of focus as a laborer have been on trim and framing inside the spectacular homes crafted by Wentworth’s team. He enjoys the process of putting all of the fine details together to create stunning houses.
“I just put up five walls in one day,” he said, as a recent work day wound down. “We are all doing framing now, and I’m part of the finish and trim crew and really enjoy it.”
Lang, 18, credited the Woodworking and Furniture Making class at Harbor Springs High School, with instructor Brad Reed, as igniting his interest in working with wood and eventually leading to his new career.
“I originally thought I wanted to go into marketing, but after taking woodworking in high school for 2.5 years, I really enjoyed working with wood and changed directions toward construction,” said Lang.
A typical day for Lang begins at 6:30 a.m. with a construction site meeting with Wentworth supervisors who lay out the plan for the day. He said he really enjoys the mental challenge of figuring out trim and framing and the precision and consistency required.
Cameron Kennard, general manager at Wentworth Builders, said McNulty and Lang are the fifth and sixth graduates from local high school construction trades and woodworking programs that they’ve hired, and they have been impressed with the students’ skills and willingness to get to work.
“The enthusiasm generated out of career tech classes is high, higher than ever,” said Kennard. “In the case of Collin, Brad Reed is doing an exceptional job of reaching out to us when he has prospective students who might be good job candidates for us.”
Kennard noted the shifting trend of increasing enthusiasm in the workforce from those in the 18-25 year old range, and those in the 45+ age range, but not as much in the 25-45 year old range. He attributes young people’s enthusiasm to the growing recognition of the value of the skilled trades, starting in high school.
“It is paramount that we continue to work with our local schools. We have an aging labor force in the skilled trades, so we need to reach young people and tell them about the job opportunities available to them. We have been very active in Char-Em ISD schools in getting this message out,” said Kennard. “All of the students who have come to work for us have been exceptional candidates.”
Kennard said McNulty has done a great job finding his niche in the cabinet shop, so much so that they are paying for him to take CNC machining and CAD classes at North Central Michigan College in the fall to keep improving his skills for long-term success. Collin is likewise doing a great job in his role with the trim and finish crew, he noted.
Both students also participated in “co-op,” also known as “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. There are now JMG specialists working 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 about half of a high school day, earning wages and credits toward graduation and honing skills for life after graduation. McNulty initially worked for another firm during his senior year of high school through co-op, and Lang did his co-op placement with Wentworth.
Harbor Springs High School counselor Shelby Richardson said all of the efforts combined are creating great opportunities for students like Lang and McNulty.
“The relationship that was built between Wentworth and Collin has been priceless,” she said. “Collin has grown into a confident young man with goals of staying in the construction field and we thank Scott, Cam, and all of their employees for being great mentors and encouraging Collin to fine tune his skills. Harbor Springs High School is very thankful for this collaboration and we look forward to many more success stories.”
McNulty and Lang both said they would highly recommend high school students enroll in career and technical education programming to get a feel for what they might enjoy as a career, and what might not be a good fit in the long run.
“You can find out if something is not right for you, too. It definitely broadens your options,” said Lang.
Photo caption:
Pictured are (seated, from left) Cameron Kennard, Wentworth Builders; Declan McNulty; Collin Lang; Jim Rummer, Char-Em ISD Career and Technical Education Director; (standing, from left) Shelby Richardson, Harbor Springs High School counselor; Scott Kennard, Wentworth Builders; Jeff Leslie, Petoskey High School Superintendent; Leigh Inglehart, Harbor Springs High School Principal; Tracy Beckley, Youth Services Regional Director, Northwest MiWorks!; Marc Svatora, JMG Specialist; and Tory Thrush, Career/College Readiness Consultant for Char-Em ISD.