In the field of high school education, it’s always important to ask whether students are learning all the knowledge and skills they’ll need out in “the real world.” Well, it’s hard to get more “real” than using a professional trade skill to manufacture products that will be sold and operated at 70 mph.

Students in Warrenton High School’s agriculture construction class are in the midst of an ongoing project to build a fleet of commercial-quality utility trailers that will be sold to customers in the community. They started with a pile of metal beams from a supplier and have to cut, weld, and fasten their way to having five vehicle attachments that match what a buyer would find on the market.

Teacher Dan Burkemper said the trailer project started last year when the class was in need of a new way to give students an objective with real-world implications. The purpose of the ag construction class is to have students build something that will be useful for a farm or trade work. But students were facing a barrier because of material price increases, Burkemper said.

“With the cost of everything metal going up, it’s hard for a kid and a family to afford ... a big project,” Burkemper commented. To overcome that barrier, he said the Warrenton FFA Alumni Association in 2021 donated seed money to buy the materials for a self-funding education project that can continue indefinitely.

“They’re constructing five 6-by-12, single-axle utility trailers, and then the idea is to sell those and then use the funding from the profits to turn it into a revolving fund, so the students can always have projects to work on and build,” Burkemper explained.

To do the project, students need to be able to manage every part of construction, from planning and design of the equipment, to fabricating every piece using band saws, plasma cutters, welders and any other tools they need for the project.

“It’s everything from the hard skills, learning how to use the tools, to the problem solving skills ... being able to think critically,” Burkemper commented. “There’s got to be some precise measurements when they build it. ... When you’re pulling it down the highway, there’s not a lot of room for error.”

In their first year of the project, students working in short daily sessions finished one trailer. That equipment went on to be exhibited at an FFA district expo and the Missouri State Fair, earning ribbons for reserve champion and grand champion, respectively.

“It was neat to see all the time and energy and quality they’ve put into it earn grand champion in its division at the state fair,” Burkemper commented.

Now in their second year of the project, students are aiming to have four identical trailers built by this summer.

“The first one was the hardest, just to figure out how we’re gonna do it. But with the later four, we’ve been going a little more faster and efficient,” commented Ben Flake, one of the seniors working on the project. “There’s a lot of small skills you wouldn’t normally think about. It isn’t like just working with wood. Metal is totally different.”

“We’ve learned to be patient with our hands and think about what we’re gonna weld. There’s a lot that goes into it,” agreed senior Gavin Wright. “Like when you’re putting heat to a piece of metal, it can tend to warp if it gets too hot.”

The seniors said it’s been gratifying to have a chance to learn skills that will be directly beneficial later in life, either professionally or personally.

“It’s a trade that you’ve now learned. And say you bought farm equipment, or you wanted to build something small at your house, there’s a few different welders you can buy and bring home and do it yourself,” Wright commented.

“That’s something I also realized, is that there’s a lot more that you can do yourself that you wouldn’t think you could do before,” Flake agreed.