This March, Heavy Equipment students at Career and Tech polished up their resumes and prepared to attend the annual Triple E Event. This employment education event is an amazing way for students to put their interviewing skills to the test to gain internships, part time, and full time employment.
At TST BOCES, Career and Tech works with students all year long to prepare them to be ready for the workforce. Many local business and industry partners have jumped on this opportunity to connect with students and eventually make offers that could lead to a lifelong career. It is mutually beneficial as students are provided jobs to build their futures, businesses build their workforces with employees that are dedicated and they know they can trust.
Dale Kinney, the instructor for the Heavy Equipment class, is the organizer behind this event and is devoted to student success. His efforts go beyond the classroom as he is building a program with the Triple E Event as the finish line. He spends months making sure his students are ready to look their business partners in the eye, shake their hands, and put their best foot forward.
As businesses reach out, Dale is looking for one thing above anything else,“They need to have a heart to serve the students similar to mine,” he says, “This is a process that takes time for new businesses to join. Some of them just want to extract students and not be involved in the program. This will not work. It is also important that the environment is quality and they are willing to continue to invest in the students' futures. Money is not the driving force, its quality.” To join this program, business and industry partners must be willing to hire on a yearly basis, visit students and spend time getting to know them. Dale believes that communication and commitment to one another is key, “I have a strong relationship with my EEE members (business partners), the students see and understand this. They also will communicate with me if particular students need more conditioning.” Another way EEE members contribute to student education is by sending tools and machinery to the Heavy Equipment classroom with operation agreements in place. This allows students to use the latest tools and technology to get the job done. Overall, Career and Tech continues to empower students by building professional development skills and providing spaces for community learning. By uplifting others and having multiple opportunities for growth available, the sky is truly the limit for the Heavy Equipment class come graduation.
Thank you to the following businesses and industry partners for their support. Thank you Alnye Trucking, Anderson Equipment Company, Beck Farms LLC, Cargill, Caskey's Garage, Cornell University, Cazenovia Equipment Company, Empire Tractor, Five Star Equipment, Java Farm Supply, New York State Department of Transportation, and Willow Run Foods! Together we serve!
If you would like to get involved in this program, please email Dale Kinney at dkinney@tstboces.org or call 607-257-1551.