Student Spotlight: inroads to the industry

Industry Partnership with Valencia Community College & Talent Pipeline Development Maxcene Robuste, Carroll Maintenance Team Member of the Year

Diligent, dedicated, and determined are just a few words that describe Maxcene Robuste. A recent graduate of Valencia College's Apartment Maintenance Technician Program (AMT), and Carroll's Maintenance Team Member of the Year, Robuste's charismatic passion for and commitment to his career is the epitome of if you love what you will never work a day in your life.

We had the pleasure of sitting down with Maxcene to ask him some questions and learn more about his time in the AMT program, the influential role it has played in his current position with Carroll, and the hard work he has and continues to pour into his career and the apartment industry.

Meet Maxcene Robuste

In pursuit of a better life and the opportunity to establish a career for himself, Robuste emigrated from Haiti to central Florida in 2015. Although eager to jump-start his career, he took a position at a local hotel chain to support himself while working to expand his horizons. Robuste knew the opportunities that formal education could afford him and was determined to seize them. Like many others, Maxcene stumbled upon and into the industry unknowing of the potentials lying ahead.

A close friend introduced Maxcene to Valencia College’s Apartment Maintenance Technician (AMT) program recruiter, Glenni Perez.

Perez walked Maxcene through the program curriculum in detail and shared his industry experience. It was not long after that Maxcene decided to enroll in the AMT program.

Maxcene Robuste Holding his Maintenance Team Member of the Year Award

Shortly after graduating from the AMT program, Maxcene was offered a three-month internship with Carroll. Putting his newly acquired certifications and skills to use, Robuste had the unique opportunity of working at a handful of Carroll communities over a three-month span. Fulfilling the final piece of his career puzzle, Robuste was able to gain invaluable experience that inevitably solidified his career path.

"I got so much out of my internship. I gained hands-on experience and perspective that not many maintenance professionals may have going into their first real job. If you are part of an onsite team, you do not really think about how an onsite team at some other community operates. Come to find, you can be doing similar jobs, but in two completely different ways. " Robuste said.

Carroll was thoroughly impressed with Robuste and upon completion of his internship, offered him a full-time position. Now, just shy of a year in his full-time role, Maxcene was named Carroll's Maintenance Team Member of the Year.

Always be the hardest working person in the room.

During his interview, when asked what characteristics or qualities set him apart from the crowd, Robuste said prides himself on being just that. "I am a hard worker. Each day, I come to work and try to learn something new or find a way to improve on something I know already know. I want to be constantly improving. "

Foot in the Door: Valencia's AMT Program

Valencia Community College offers a variety of accelerated skills training courses, one being the Apartment Maintenance Technician (AMT) Program. Spread out over 10 weeks, students learn core skills and foundational knowledge that prepares them for a career in apartment maintenance. In addition, graduates complete the program with a handful of recognized and, most often times, required certifications including their EPA 608, CAMT, CPO, and OSHA 10. When we sat down

with Maxcene, we asked him how the AMT Program helped him pursue his career in the Apartment Industry. He said that the [program] gave him the opportunity, skills, and connections he needed to get his foot in the door.

"The AMT program gave me all of the baseline knowledge and skills I still use today. Having no prior industry experience, I was able to gain the knowledge and skills I needed to fix a variety of appliances, understand how to properly use technology to follow up on work orders, and much more. The program was the jump-start of my career. " Robuste said his memory from the program was when he passed his first certification. "It showed me that all of my hard work was paying off. I'll never forget that day. "

When Hard Work Pays Off: Maintenance Team Member of the Year

Just a year into his full-time role, Robuste is honored to have been nominated and named Carroll's Maintenance Team Member of the Year. Receiving this recognition, Robuste says he feels like his hard work is starting to pay off and can not wait to see what his career's future holds.

"To be recognized and receive a trophy for my hard work and dedication is so special to me. This has motivated me to work even harder. We currently don’t have a supervisor for my department so I am motivated to lead by example and show I am the man for the job. I would like to personally thank the Carroll management team along with my all of coworkers for this accolade. It is an absolute pleasure to work here!"

We all reap the benefits of good work efforts and dedicated employees that go above and beyond to make communities feel like home and industry feel like family. We are honored to have had the opportunity to join Carroll in sharing and celebrating Maxcene's achievement. We are grateful to have the ability to highlight our members and the ROI of our industry partnership with Valencia Community College's Accredited Skills Training Programs, including the Apartment Maintenance Technician and Residential Property Management Programs.