As you know nearly twenty years ago we established an Apprenticeship Committee, comprised of trade professionals who have all completed an apprenticeship, and are committed to building partnerships with area schools to help share our passion for the skilled trades with students by speaking with classes and inviting them to our job sites for first look tours of construction. These efforts have stemmed from a long-term commitment the Cullen Family has made to better the construction industry.
To boot, yesterday hundreds of area high school students joined us for our 4th Annual Construction Career Fair to learn about careers in the trades unlike any typical career fair setting. Students participated in interactive opportunities and learned about the construction industry through mock-ups, hands-on demonstrations, and getting the chance to speak individually with apprenticeship recruiters from local building trades unions. The trades represented were electrical, mechanical, HVAC, plumbing, fire protection, ironworkers, carpenters, millwrights, concrete finishers, masons, operating engineers, safety, BIM and prefabrication.
Approximately 330 students and staff were in attendance from 17 different area high schools including: Parkview, Janesville Craig and Parker, Beloit, Milton, McFarland, Clark Street Community, Juda, Edgerton, Stoughton, Brodhead, Rock River Charter School, TOGOS Leadership Academy, Lake Geneva Badger, Middleton – Cross Plains, Mt. Horeb and Whitewater. Again this year, we had a handful of parents participate along with their students treating it as if it were a college visit; seeing firsthand what their students would be doing after high school, through an apprenticeship, if they chose to go that route.
See more pictures from by checking out our photo album on our Facebook page.
To find out how you can get involved in the trades, please contact Joe Schwengels, JP Cullen Apprenticeship Committee Chair, at Joe.Schwengels@JPCullen.com. Or, if you simply want to learn more about the growing demand of skilled workers, visit the Department of Workforce Development website.
Last but not least, we could not have made this day happen without our generous sponsors. Let us take a minute to thank each and every one of them: Ahern, AFS, Badger Contractors Rental & Supply, Bobcat of Janesville, DeGarmo Plumbing, Carpenters Local 314, Potratz Concrete Pumping South, Verona Safety, General Heating and Air Conditioning, BAC Wisconsin District Council, L.W. Meyer, Inc., Jensen Equipment Company Inc., Lycon Inc., Hooper Corporation, Bandt Communications, Inc., Iron Workers Local 383, Marling Lumber, Engineers Local 139, Yes Equipment & Services, ABC Supply Co. Inc., Local Laborers 464 , Symons, Hilti, Lincoln Contractors Supply, Aluma Systems, Dawes Rigging & Crane Rental, Peri, and United Rentals. We would also like to thank our employees for taking time out of their schedules. We truly appreciate everyone supporting our mission to build the future of the construction industry!
