Students as young as four and five years old in San Marcos are getting an early look at life on a construction site, trying on hard hats and other safety gear as part of a new push by San Marcos Unified School District to introduce career education in transitional kindergarten classrooms. The lessons landed this week at Knob Hill Elementary School, where a new campus is currently under construction, giving students a live backdrop for the career lesson playing out just outside their windows.
The classroom visits were organized in partnership with the Build San Diego Foundation, a nonprofit affiliated with the Associated General Contractors of San Diego, according to CBS 8. The foundation visited transitional kindergarten classrooms at Knob Hill Elementary and taught students about construction careers while letting them try on the kind of safety gear construction workers wear on the job, the station reports.
District officials said the ongoing construction project at the school helped connect classroom lessons to the work students already see happening on campus. Christine Corrao, coordinator of career technical education and future readiness for San Marcos Unified, said students notice construction workers daily and often ask questions about what they're doing, per the station's report.
A Campus Built Around Measure JJ
Knob Hill Elementary's ongoing reconstruction is described by the district as a long-term investment funded through voter-approved Measure JJ, according to Knob Hill Elementary School's construction updates page. The project includes renovating existing buildings and learning spaces and replacing portable classrooms with new permanent facilities. As of January 2026, crews were beginning work on new two-story classroom buildings, and a crane standing over 120 feet tall and able to reach approximately 144 feet arrived on campus for that phase of construction.
The district has also maintained strict separation between construction crews and students throughout the build. Workers use a dedicated entrance and are barred from interacting with students or staff under district policy, the Knob Hill construction page states. CBS 8 reports the new campus is expected to open soon, though the exact opening date has not been confirmed.
Starting Career Talk Younger
This fall marked the first time San Marcos Unified introduced career exploration into transitional kindergarten classrooms, according to the station. Corrao said early exposure can help students discover career opportunities they might not otherwise consider, noting that students may not understand the range of jobs available to them. She added that exploring careers at a younger age is exciting for both students and educators, per CBS 8's report.
District officials said they hope to expand career education to more elementary school classrooms going forward. The elementary push builds on a career pipeline San Marcos Unified already runs for older students, including career exploration labs for sixth graders, more than 20 career pathways for middle and high schoolers, dual enrollment college courses, and registered pre-apprenticeship programs at all three high schools.
Why the Construction Industry Is Recruiting Early
The push to reach kids before they even reach kindergarten reflects workforce pressures the construction industry has been flagging for years. Build San Diego says about a third of the existing construction workforce in the San Diego and Southern California region is nearing retirement, and the organization notes that construction companies are increasingly adopting new technology and need workers trained to operate advanced machinery, according to its parent and educator materials. The group frames apprenticeship programs as a way for students to earn income while continuing their education, rather than taking on debt for a traditional degree path.
San Marcos Unified says its broader CTE course offerings prepare students for a wide range of fields beyond construction, including engineering, computer science, public safety and graphic design, according to the district's CTE program page. The district also reports a 90% high school graduation rate among its CTE Career Pathway students, which it describes as 15 percentage points higher than the national average.
The district's construction-specific pathway has drawn outside recognition in recent years. The California Department of Industrial Relations and its Division of Apprenticeship Standards approved San Marcos Unified's construction track, according to Times of San Diego, which also reported the district was the first in North County to receive a pre-apprenticeship designation for its construction pathway. That outlet reported students could simultaneously earn 180 hours of trade experience while completing their coursework, while the North County Daily Star described the program as allowing students to earn up to 180 hours of construction trade experience in high school.
Older Students Already Building Real Projects
The elementary-level introduction comes as San Marcos High School students further along the pathway have already been putting their training to use. Students in the high school construction program have built accessory dwelling units and tiny homes for community members, according to The Coast News. Seven students were also preparing to represent their school at the Southern California CIEF Design Build Competition, where they were expected to construct a 96-square-foot shed over two days.
The financial case for the pathway has been part of the district's pitch to students and families. San Marcos Unified has said graduates entering the construction industry as full-time apprentices could earn a median salary of $76,928, according to the North County Daily Star. Times of San Diego separately reported a local construction-industry mean hourly wage of $32.49, citing Bureau of Labor Statistics figures. Whether those figures hold steady as the district pushes career exploration down to transitional kindergarten remains to be seen, but for now, the littlest learners at Knob Hill are simply getting their first look at hard hats, cranes and the workers building their new school around them.
