Staunton, Waynesboro High seniors to participate in Summer Workforce training

Peters said that career coaches at high schools are hired by BRCC and they are always brainstorming ways to help the students.

Thirty Staunton High seniors signed up for an opportunity to meet with Summer Workforce instructors at the high school Wednesday.

“This is what you would be doing over the summer,” Peters said he pitched to students about the idea of exploring options.

From May 27 till the end of June, a select number of Waynesboro and Staunton High school students will be chosen to experience training in Heavy Equipment Operation (HEO), Welding, Patient Services Representative, Forklift, OSHA 10 and CORE Craft Safety. At the end of training, students will meet with potential area employers.

“I don’t want them graduating and doing nothing,” Peters said of his encouraging students at Staunton High who do not yet have a post-graduation plan. The opportunities offered in the Summer Workforce program will lead students into careers with good pay and benefits, and the ability to feed families.

Four-year college educations may not work out for some students, but a career with the Summer Workforce program could work out. The program is also good for students already on the path toward working in construction obtain early experience with equipment operation.

According to Peters, today’s high school students are still mostly academic-bound either to a four-year university or first attending BRCC. Six years ago, more students were headed to four-year universities, but more and more now he sees are planning to attend BRCC after high school.

“We’re not trying to get you to figure out what you’re going to do for the next four years. We’re trying to show you options,” Peters said.

He does not want Staunton High students to graduate without a plan when they might try nursing, auto mechanics or fixing machines for Little Debbie until they find their calling.

Cooper Pugh explored options with the Summer Workforce program on Wednesday by trying out the HEO simulator.

“I’m glad I caught on early, because I’ve always been interested in architecture, but now I’m thinking I would lean toward construction management,” Pugh said.

He plans to attend BRCC in the fall, earn his associate’s degree, then transfer to Virginia Tech. Wednesday morning’s meeting with BRCC Summer Workforce instructors, however, gave him a lot to think about of his future.

“It’s been great interacting with the potential students, introducing them to an industry that maybe they didn’t know anything about,” said Mike Bird, the program’s HEO instructor.

Bird said he relayed to students on Wednesday the importance of their self-worth as future employees and the value of a potential employer.

“It’s a win-win for the employer and the student,” Jim Butler, BRCC program director for transportation logistics, said.

What would normally be a two-year process of learning, students in the summer program will learn in five weeks in a safe environment with no supervisor yelling at them when they make a mistake or any distractions.

“So the learning process is very different in the field than in the classroom,” Butler said.

On Monday, April 28, Butler and Bird will be at Waynesboro High to speak with students about the summer program.

The BRCC Summer Workforce program began out of the increasing need expected in the construction industry as 40 percent of workers will retire in the next six years. Bird said the industry calls the phenomenon the Silver Tsunami.

“And there’s not enough people coming into the industry to replace [retirees],” Bird said.

The program allows today’s youth opportunities to experience careers in construction who might otherwise overlook what the industry offers because they were not introduced earlier.

Waynesboro and Staunton high school senior graduating in May who are interested in BRCC’s summer program should speak with a high school career coach.