SALT LAKE CITY — With Utah growing fast and housing in short supply, teachers say there’s a need for more people in construction, and local students are stepping up.

At Jordan Academy for Technology and Careers, teens aren’t just learning about construction—they’re actually building things. “Why is it so important in Utah? Utah is growing and Utah is growing fast. We have a housing deficit, housing shortage, we need more labor to build more houses,” said Ryan Clayton, a construction trades and management teacher at the academy.

His students built a tiny home right behind the school. “There’s a huge deficit in construction jobs and we’re trying to fill that deficit,” Clayton said.

And it’s working. “My enrollment has doubled so I went from about 40 students to over 80 students this year

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