Erick Kenney once learned how to operate heavy equipment and properly frame a shed in the halls of the Capital Region BOCES Career and Technical Education Center – Schoharie Campus.
Now, the 2011 graduate of the Construction/Heavy Equipment program is overseeing the renovation and upgrade of the very same campus.
Kenney works as a project superintendent for BBL Construction Services and is currently assigned to the Schoharie Campus upgrades, which include renovations to the Automotive Trades Technology, Cosmetology and Culinary Arts and Hospitality Technology classrooms, as well as the retrofitting of a former garage into a new Welding & Metal Fabrication classroom. All work is scheduled to be completed in time for the start of the 2024-25 school year
“It’s interesting coming back to the school I graduated from. It obviously changed with new programs and the opportunities afforded to the students, but it’s still the same building I graduated from,” said Kenney.
The Construction/Heavy Equipment program Kenney graduated from was separated into two separate programs for the start of the current school year. Students can now take the Building Trades program or the Heavy Equipment Operation, Maintenance & Repair program.
Upon graduation from BOCES and the Middleburgh Central School District, Kenney enlisted in the military. After completing his service, he picked up his hammer and tools and went to work for BBL seven years ago, quickly ascending the career ladder.
“BOCES prepared me pretty well for working in the industry,” he said. “I also took courses at Hudson Valley Community College, but the classes I took at BOCES and the experiences I had really really gave me a leg up over others just entering the construction industry.”
Kenney added that he is grateful for the opportunity to work at the school he graduated from.
Capital Region BOCES Managing Program Coordinator-Business & Community Partnerships Nancy Liddle said Kenney is a prime example of a BOCES success story.
“Erick is a fine young man who has given of himself to the community and is taking what he learned at BOCES and building a nice career for himself. It’s only appropriate that his career brings him back to BOCES and allows him the opportunity to improve the educational experience for our students,” Liddle said.