Wired for Growth: Students at Cheraw High School Have a Direct Line to the Skilled Trades

CTE teacher Andrew Smith brought nearly 30 years of industry experience to Cheraw High School when he joined as a construction teacher in 2023. The school had no electrical program at the time, but when they launched the new offering later that school year, Smith moved into the electrical role. The electrical program now stands as the only one of its kind across the district’s four high schools, and it’s become extremely popular. 

“We haven’t had a problem getting kids,” Smith shared. “It’s actually been too big. That’s why we brought on another teacher.”

That success has also earned national recognition. Smith was recently named a winner of the Harbor Freight Tools for Schools Prize for Teaching Excellence, becoming the first South Carolina teacher to receive the prestigious award. Students in the electrical program have opportunities to train in hands-on environments, visit job sites, access work-based learning and apprenticeship opportunities, and graduate with industry-recognized credentials. Edmentum’s Trade Prep Powered by Interplay supports all of that with immersive 3D simulations and expert-led video instruction in 10 skilled trades to scale virtual work-based learning and pre-apprenticeship experiences.

Cheraw High School’s Electrical CTE Program at a Glance:

• Roughly 60 to 75 students enroll each semester, either as a one-semester elective or a longer-term pathway
• Each year, 20 to 23 students finish the full 4-semester sequence and earn "completer" status
• Typical class size ranges from 17 to 23 students
• 8 students are in work-based learning with contractors

Hands-On Electrical Training Puts Careers Within Reach

Smith sees the program as part of a larger shift in how students view skilled-trades careers. “I’m just trying to change the narrative,” he said. 

Students in the electrical program complete a four-semester sequence, starting with Levels 1 and 2 and then advancing into a longer class that combines Levels 3 and 4. Those who finish can earn South Carolina’s CTE completer designation and work toward earning industry credentials including OSHA 10, NCCER Core, and NCCER Electricity 1.

Smith makes sure that students aren’t just learning the skilled trades from a distance. In Cheraw’s electrical lab, they wire receptacles, lights, switches, ranges, and subpanels. They practice conduit bending, work with the same kinds of tools they’ll encounter in the field and build confidence by doing the work themselves.

But beyond the school lab, Smith also wanted them to have authentic work experience and exposure to the people and places behind it, so he earned a commercial driver’s license. 

“I got my CDL last year just to get them out,” he explained. “Let’s go to real job sites.”

CTE Coursework Connects Skills Across the Trades

All of that has opened doors to opportunities at manufacturing plants, union training programs, construction sites, and other industry settings. Students have also worked with Habitat for Humanity and local building contractors and have toured nearby facilities, including a nuclear plant.

Smith makes a point of showing them that learning electrical skills doesn’t limit students to one skilled trade. As they learn, they’re also exposed to a wide range of other technical fields, like welding, construction projects, HVAC, industrial maintenance, engineering, line work, and manufacturing. 

“It actually goes hand-in-hand with some of the standards—especially construction math and electrical math like Kirchhoff's Law and Ohm's Law—and the practices and [National Electrical Code] changes,” Smith explained. “We’re just trying to get them exposed to everything so they can go into any field.”

Trade Prep Expands Interactive Electrical Skills Practice

When Cheraw High School added Trade Prep to the electrical program, a shift began. Since an entire class can’t work on the same equipment at once, Trade Prep helps Smith make more of the hands-on resources he has. “They’re not just sitting there watching a video,” he pointed out. “They’re also having to actually engage with the learning.”

So, while one group is in the lab, another can practice related skills in immersive 3D simulations and reinforce learning through expert-led video instruction. Students are still actively working with concepts like metering, panel wiring, and conduit banding, but without having to wait for physical equipment to become available.

Work-Based Learning Creates a Connection to Employers

Cheraw High launched its first work-based learning placements with contractors in the 2025-26 school year, giving eight students the opportunity to work directly with employers while still in high school. Other students have moved into apprenticeships with local industry partners and the electrical union in Charlotte.

Smith understands the value of that connection firsthand. When an opportunity he expected to pursue after high school fell through, he began without experience and learned much of the electrical trade on the job. “I went to work as a green helper and learned baptism by fire,” he reflected. Fortunately, his students will have a better start. 

Students Explore Skilled Trades Outside of Class Time

Some of the most encouraging signs have come from outside the assigned classwork. Smith recalls a student who used Trade Prep independently on his phone during the summer. While exploring the platform, the student developed an interest in becoming an HVAC technician. Another student completed roughly 13 Trade Prep courses in about a month and a half.

Students have gravitated toward the content, and the range of available topics lets them explore multiple technical areas long before they graduate. Trade Prep builds these programs with authentic guidance from field experts, and students aren’t the only ones benefiting from the quality of the training. Smith is also supplementing his own professional learning as he works toward his builder’s license. 

“I actually enjoy [Trade Prep] myself, too,” he said. “It even helps me a little bit with electrical code.”

Industry Partnerships Increase the School’s CTE Capacity

Much of the program’s growth has happened through connections with local business and industry organizations that give students access to environments and equipment that don’t exist on campus. It also connects students with people who understand the regional workforce needs and the skills that employers will be looking for.

Smith has developed relationships with Habitat for Humanity, Klein Tools, Leviton, local contractors, manufacturing companies, and apprenticeship programs. They’ve provided equipment, job-site access, industry exposure, and connections to employment opportunities. “The industry’s really helping us out,” he explains. “Local businesses, they see the need for CTE.”

Trade Prep’s Growing Role in Skilled-Trades CTE

Smith sees the potential for Trade Prep to play a bigger role statewide if more of its certifications are recognized within South Carolina’s credentialing system. Still, credentials are only part of what he hopes students will ultimately take from the program. 

Above all, he wants them to leave high school with solid experience and a clear sense of what they’re capable of achieving, and he’s encouraged by the support those programs are receiving: "I just appreciate that y'all are saying it's needed—that the trades are important again."

Bring more skilled trade opportunities within reach with Trade Prep.