OJT opportunity of lifetime

BY CANDY LAMMERS, Gilbane Building Co.
For The Van Wert Independent

Nineteen Vantage juniors have the opportunity of a lifetime.  They have been nominated by their teachers and selected to participate in the Junior Builder program with Gilbane Building Company.

Gilbane is the construction management firm responsible for the Vantage renovation and expansion project.  The Ohio Schools Facilities Commission (OSFC) encourages some type of student inclusion on their projects to get students involved and informed about the exciting improvements being made to their school buildings.  Gilbane Building Company believes student involvement is one of the most rewarding aspects of school construction and a great way for them to give back to the communities in which they work. These select students will meet with project managers once a month for the next 15 months and will have the chance to experience the Vantage project from the inside out.

Gilbane developed their “Junior Builder” program several years ago to enhance student involvement and provide active student interaction with the firms and tradespersons building and renovating their schools.  With Vantage being a Career Center, this project provides a unique opportunity for the “Junior Builder” program to have students who are enrolled in technical programs that are directly associated to the construction industry and activities which are happening right outside their classroom on the job site.

Gilbane worked with the school administration to develop a tailor made “Junior Builder” program specifically for the Vantage Career Center project.  Gilbane and the school felt it important to include aspects into the program aimed at providing students with real life employment search experiences.  As part of the selection process, Gilbane provided sample job applications from several of the trade contractors working on site.  The students were given a deadline for submitting their applications in hopes of getting an interview.  Gilbane then scheduled and conducted interviews with proposed “Junior Builder” students.  “We felt that the application and interview process was a great experience for the students to go through and use as a learning tool as they prepare to enter the work force,” said Candy Lammers.

All the candidates did an excellent job on the interviews resulting in 19 students being selected to participate in the “Junior Builder” program.  The students will “report to work” to the Gilbane site office trailer the first Friday of every month.  They will be divided into 4 groups that will specialize on different areas of the project, learning and having fun while doing so.  The students will get to tour the job site monthly and gain valuable practical experience while shadowing trades related to their particular field of study.   “Some of these students may have never submitted a job application or had to go through an interview process before.  Hopefully being part of this program will provide them with experiences they can use after graduation as well as provide real exposure to the things they are learning in the classroom,” commented project manager Chad Stevers.

One of the most exciting things about the Vantage “Junior Builder” program is the possibility of the contractors identifying some high performing students that they might be interested in hiring next summer for an internship.  Of course, this will depend on the contractor’s manpower needs at the time, but the students are aware of this possibility and are certainly going to be working hard to make it happen.

The 11th graders that were chosen will be staying in the program for the rest of the school year and joining Gilbane again as Seniors for the 2012-2013 school year to see the project through completion.  Gilbane is extremely excited about the “Junior Builder” program and the opportunity it provides to the students of Vantage Career Center.

Students from Carpentry, Electricity, Industrial Mechanics, and Welding were chosen for program.  Eight different home schools are represented in this group.  The following students have been selected to participate in the Jr. Builder program.  From Carpentry, Christian Fischer (Delphos Jefferson), Heath Girardot (Ottoville), Dylan Lawson (Paulding), Kavon Pierce (Van Wert), and Alexandria Strickland (Lincolnview).  From Electricity, Tyler Farris (Crestview), Nathan Maas (Delphos St. Johns), and Blake Myers (Crestview).  From Industrial Mechanics, Matt Burgei (Ottoville), Tyler Dobson (Lincolnview), Cody Dugan (Parkway), Zach Miller (Ottoville), Andrew Schnipke (Ottoville), and Luke Wrasman (Delphos St. Johns).  From Welding, Gary Carter (Van Wert), Brandon Combs (Crestview), Kasi Edwards (Paulding), Jody Richey (Lincolnview), and Chase Stahl (Van Wert).