Students learn to wire up a light switch
Students Explore Career Opportunities with Cianbro CIANBRO INSTITUTE n
By Dan Coffey
C
ianbro partnered with Junior Achievement of Maine to host 25 Jobs for Maine Grads (JMG) Mahoney Middle School students at our Ricker’s Wharf facility in Portland, Maine. The goal for the day was to help raise the students’ awareness of careers in construction. The Cianbro Institute had multiple instructors participate in the experience who engaged with students through hands-on learning opportunities. The students rotated through a variety of activities consisting of: welding demonstrations, an electrical activity, applying math skills in the construction world, and operating Cianbro’s model crane through a simulated course. “The group was really focused, asked a lot of questions, and was extremely well behaved,” said Justin Desrosiers, welding instructor. “It’s exciting to see students so eager to learn. It was a pleasure to be a part of this event and help these students gain some awareness on the multiple pathways in front of them.” At the end of the day Tony Ayotte, craft development man-
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CIANBRO CHATTER
Welding demonstration
ager, closed out the event with a discussion on industry opportunities, takeaways of the day, and answered questions. “It was great to see how engaged the students were with the instructors,” said Tony. “They asked a lot of good questions about the different crafts. The end of the day discussion about what they learned was amazing. It’s a rewarding feeling when you walk away from an event like this and you know the students really got some value from it.” “You guys knocked it out of the park,” said Jeff Kozaka, JMG Specialist from Mahoney Middle School. “I can’t thank you enough. When I meet with employers who want to do job shadows in the future, I will be using this program as the template.” The Cianbro Institute was pleased for the opportunity to host this event. It’s important for us to get out there and advocate for our industry and the fruitful career opportunities construction brings. We look forward to the next!
