Executives with Milton CAT say they rely on career and technical schools like the one operated by Capital Region BOCES to meet its workforce needs.
On Monday, a pair of company officials visited the Career & Technical Education Center – Albany Campus to recruit students from the Diesel Tech program and tout what they have to offer employees.
“We are always looking to add to our technical head count, and working with Capital Region BOCES and other technical skills is crucial for our ability to do so,” said Kathryn Ellmauer, Senior Workforce Development Specialist with Milton CAT.
Ellmauer and Edward Wasielewski, Service Manager for a local Milton CAT operation, met with more than three dozen juniors and seniors from more than a dozen high schools who are enrolled in Kyle Harrington’s Diesel Tech program. The program prepares youth for careers as automotive/bus/truck technicians, heavy equipment repair technicians, service managers and more.
“It’s very hard to recruit. There has been a prolonged emphasis on higher education and a de-emphasis on the skilled trades, so we are re-educating people about the value and the rewards of a career as diesel tech. That’s why meeting with students like this who are engaged and ready to enter the field is so important,” Ellmauer said.
Among the students present on Monday was senior Dylan Kenific of the South Colonie Central School District.
Though months away from graduation, Kenific has already lined up a job with Milton CAT upon his completion of BOCES.
“It’s very rewarding. It showed me the BOCES program actually worked. I got the opportunity I was really looking for, and it made BOCES worth it,” he said.
Kenific was hired as an apprentice and will start July 8. He learned of the apprenticeship program thanks to previous efforts by Milton CAT officials to recruit at BOCES.
“It’s very rewarding and exciting to have a job lined up in the industry even before I graduate,” Kenific said.
The Milton CAT presentation was one of several initiatives taking place at Capital Region BOCES during February. The month is set aside nationally as a time when school communities celebrate programs designed to prepare students for the workforce or to pursue higher education.
Capital Region BOCES Managing Program Coordinator-Business & Community Partnerships Nancy Liddle said Milton CAT is a valuable partner for BOCES and its students.
“We value our business partners, like Milton CAT, and the support they give our students through professional opportunities and so much more. We look forward to the many new opportunities Milton CAT and all our partners will afford our students,” she said.
For more information on the program, go to https://www.capitalregionboces.org/career-technical-education/courses-programs/diesel-tech/.