Hours spent cutting, hammering and building will count towards apprenticeship hours, and students will gain certification which makes them ready for job sites, said construction teacher Marco Magazini.

"It gives them a step up," said Magazini. "They'll have registered as an apprentice, gained hours and certification all before they leave high school."

The Specialist High Skills major site construction program launched this year at Lakeshore. Students from Lakeshore and Notre Dame are the first to be able to take advantage of the new program.

Students in the construction course transformed the school's chapel from a carpeted room with folding chairs to a ceramic-tiled and hard-wood floored place of worship complete with pews.

Students will work this year to transform one of the school's portables into a self-sufficient building. By building a windmill and attaching solar panels the students will be able to take the unit off the school's electricity grid. The project also ties in with the school's "go green" goals through the eco school program.