Trade skills are returning to Upper Peninsula schools, and with them, teenagers are building homes — the first completed structure is set to hit the real estate market this spring in Houghton County.
It was just about seven months ago that InvestUP launched its housing development fund, Build U.P., with a $1 million allocation that would allow the program to offer zero percent $200,000 loans to intermediate school districts (ISD) across the Upper Peninsula. Less than a year later, they’re already seeing results.
Two of the U.P.’s seven ISDs have joined Build U.P. so far — the Copper Country and Delta-Schoolcraft.
![]()
Paula McCambridgeAmong the 30 advisory committee members.It was perfect timing for Build U.P. and the Copper Country ISD and its state-approved Career and Technical Education in construction technology program to come together. When the two entities joined forces, the Copper Country ISD was already building momentum with its own trade program, working alongside industry leaders who were committing their time to an advisory board.
“The timing was super fortuitous,” said Marty Fittante, CEO of InvestUP, a regional economic organization for the U.P. “The CCISD was moving forward with their advisory committee then we were able to come in with the money. What they’ve done has exceeded our expectations.”
Fittante added that Delta-Schoolcraft is now pouring footings for a home and getting close to securing land for another in Manistique.
The Copper Country ISD, which serves Houghton, Keweenaw, and Baraga counties, is planning a build in L’Anse, which will break ground this spring. For that project, students will come from Baraga and L’Anse high schools as well as local homeschooling families.
The idea behind these programs is threefold — one, they’re bringing back trade skills that had all but disappeared from school curricula in recent generations; two, they’re teaching teens marketable skills that gives them a viable option to stay in the UP after high school; and three, it bolsters the strained housing market.
In Houghton, Corey Suomis, director of Career and Technical Education, said the program really took off after a meeting he had with Andy Moyle, president of Moyle Companies, based in Houghton.
“I started this job in 2023 and met with Andy Moyle to talk about putting this together,” Suomis said. “I got excited; he got excited, and that got it going. As a result, it strengthened our advisory.”
Moving quickly to get all their ducks in a row, Moyle donated the land, and ground was broken in May 2024.
What they thought would be a two-year project was completed in just a year. Besides learning about construction, students are now included in talks with their real estate agent as they put the house up for sale.
![]()
Paula McCambridgeThe house features three-bedrooms, a large garage and sauna.Once the house is sold, $200,000 goes back to Build U.P., and the rest of the money becomes seed money for their next build.
“This is a huge win-win for the kids and companies wanting to build their roster,” Moyle said. “And this goes well beyond the students — this is for our community.”
The house stands as evidence of what a community can accomplish when it makes an effort to strengthen its job and housing markets by providing training to high schoolers.
“Our local skilled trades programs were ignored for decades,” Moyle said. “Now, everyone is desperate to find skilled trades. The best way to do that is to get these programs back. We’re a group of like-minded people working to do that. We’re building it back up.”
The committee met, planned, and took action.
“We asked ourselves, ‘What can we do to bring these programs back?” Moyle said. “We decided we needed a capstone project, to build a house. We’re trying to set a bar — we would build one home, and we wanted it to be extraordinary.”
The house is a one-story, three-bedroom home with a large garage and sauna, and students are proud of the work they’ve done.
![]()
Paula McCambridgeAlecia Aho, 17, is the first girl in the CCISD’s construction technology program.Seventeen-year-old Alecia Aho of Hancock High School, learned about the class when she was working at Moyle’s last summer. Her father, Steve Aho, also a Moyle employee and member of the advisory committee, brought it to her attention that there would be a class planning to build a house. She’s already signed up to continue her work at the CTE next fall.
“I liked my job at Moyle, so I decided to take this class,” Alecia said. “I think it really opened my eyes to the opportunities in this field. I even think about building my own home in the future.”
Dad Steve, before going to work at Moyle, was a school teacher and administrator for more than 20 years, and noticed a positive change in his daughter.
“I’ve seen a lot of growth in her as a person,” he said. “I’ve seen her develop confidence and leadership skills.”
About the program as a whole, Steve Aho said, “We’re not in the business of building houses but in the business of teaching kids.”
The program is growing beyond just the Copper Country ISDs and Build U.P. as local businesses and governments are stepping up to help.
“When it comes down to it, the community and industry support across the Copper Country has been tremendous, with 30 members on the CTE Construction Technology program advisory committee,” Suomis said.
Another lot is expected to be donated by local government soon, though that donation has not yet been finalized, so more details couldn’t be shared. The group is continually looking for land, and the donations help sustain the program.
“We didn’t go into this with the objective of acquiring land donations, but when you look at what other communities are doing across the state, of what philanthropic groups are doing to revitalize Detroit — to see communities rally around has become a really important part of this,” Fittante said.
Giving locals a way to stay in the UP after high school graduation is one of many goals already being reached. Suomis said one student, graduating this May, just accepted a job with one of the contractors on the advisory committee. Build U.P. is poised to lend more funding, and ground is continuing to be broken for new homes.
“We’ll reinvest the money,” Fittante said. “The revenue they get from their home will go into the next build. We’ll close two more development deals in the next few weeks. We’re giving those kids the skills they need to make it possible for them to stay in the UP. It’s a win win win for everyone.”
Paula McCambridge has been writing and editing for more than 25 years. She won her first awards for feature writing and ongoing news coverage at the Daily Mining Gazette in Houghton, Michigan.