CELEBRATION AT THE ACADEMY!!!!

Yesterday we celebrated National Careers in Construction Week at the Construction Academy. School couselors and educators were invited to the Construction Academy for a delicious lunch hosted by the Associated General Contractors. The students and counselors had the opportunity to hear a special success story from Blake Ambler, who now works for Granite Northwest (Wilder). Blake got his start as an Academy kid in Bothell and his first internship was with Wilder on the Everett Station project. Blake continued to work for Wilder after school and in the summer. After high school, Blake went to Washington State University to study Construction Management, working at Wilder in the summer. After college, Blake returned to Wilder where he now mentors new academy students. We also heard from Vicki Pine at Andgar Corporation who shared with us all of the different jobs at her company and all the opportunities that await students that are motivated and interested a great career in construction.

Welcome New Class!!!!

The Academy is proud to welcome the second class of students back to school. Ted is proud of this years class already and we are only a month into it! The students will be going to their OSHA 10 class on Friday, October 17 where they will learn all about jobsite safety. Also in October, the students will be getting their First Aid/CPR training. Intalco has again generously fitted the students with work boots and we have received another grant from the AGC Education Foundation to support the program.

Join me in wishing Ted and his class a great year full of opportunity and promise......

CCA PROGRAM GOES HIGH TECH

The Construction Careers Academy has hit the big screen! That's right you can check out our new program video on YOU TUBE by clicking on this link
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5EjdmugJoak.
You can see first hand all the people it took to make this program a success. We hope you like it.

On May 30, 2008 over 50 students, parents, advisory committee members, and business sponsors attended our first CCA recognition event and end-of-year celebration. Our local AGC (Associated General Contractors) hosted an old fashioned barbecue and students were recognized for their accomplishments. Local contractors donated many great prizes. Instructor, Ted Goeres awarded students their NCCER certificates and recognized students who have completed their OSHA 10 and CSTOP certifications. Two $1,000 scholarships were presented by Bill Quehrn and Audrey Borders of the Building Industry Association to Koji Kuromiya-Parker and Whitney VanWaveren. Koji also received a $500 scholarship from the CCA program. Many people came together to make it a winning year for the first students to complete the program - it was a proud moment for everyone and what a great group of kids. We wish them all the best and hope they find many rewarding opportunities in whatever path they take.

Students Get Gas!!!!

CCA Students Get Gas!
Construction Academy students were lucky recipients of gas coupons donated by the ConocoPhillips Ferndale Refinery. Kathleen Pennington, ConocoPhillips HR Manager, presented 17 packets of gasoline coupons to Ted Goeres, CCA instructor. Once students have completed their internship placement interview and been hired by the company, they will each receive a $50 packet of gasoline coupons. Ms. Pennington reminded students that having reliable transportation and being to work on time are very important hiring criteria for local employers. ConocoPhillips wants to be sure each student starts their internship experience with a full tank of gas! We'd like to thank ConocoPhillips for their generous donation.

Sheds Nearing Completion!!!

SHEDS NEARING COMPLETION!!!

The Construction Careers Academy students have been very busy this past month learning how to frame, sheath, floor, truss and roof their sheds. Each team of 4 students is working on a different style shed -- 4 designs are under construction. Each team is adding their own design options to the finished product -- a composite versus shake roof; T-111, batten and hardy plank have been the siding options -- one shed even has a front porch! Border and Sons Quality Roofing provided a roofing demonstration giving students helpful hints to ensure a leak-free end product. Come spring, three of the sheds will be sold to help the program recover the cost of materials and one shed will be auctioned by the BIA with the proceeds going towards a CCA student scholarship. Over the next 4 weeks, students will be preparing for their paid internships through worksite visits, practicing their interview techniques, filling out job applications, and gathering the necessary documents to verify they are job ready.