School-to-Work

WINTER WELDING CONTEST—January 27, 2010

Buna High School and ABC-SETX jointly hosted a very successful Winter Welding Contest on Wednesday, January 27 2010 at the ABC Training Center.  Ninety (90) Welders from 18 local high schools put their skills to the test, and they all performed with flying colors.  It is exciting to see this type of talent at the high school level; it is a testament to the quality instructors that our local schools have employed.  Of course as always, the event could not have taken place had it not been for the generosity of several Sponsors, and we would like to say thank you for their continued support.  They are as follows:

                        Coastal Welding Supply
                        Southeast Texas Industries
                        Drago Supply
                        RCI
                        Applied Maintenance
                        Ritter Ace Hardware of Buna
                        ETOX
                        Harold and Kay Simmons
                        Ray and Suzanne Hill
                        ABC-SETX
                       

The Competition Winners are:

1st Place Winner is: Dillon Anders of Anahuac High School;
2nd Place Winner is: Eric Rabalais of Anahuac High School;
3rd Place Winner is: Jared Cochran of Buna High School;
4th Place Winner is: Cade Hunt of Buna High School;
5th Place Winner is: Jacob Cotten of West Hardin High School;
6th Place Winner is: Al Lejuene of Buna High School;
7th Place Winner is: Ethan Moss of Buna High School;
8th Place Winner is: Taten Berry of Lufkin High School;
9th Place Winner is: Taylor Duett of Newton High School;
10th Place Winner is: Andy Stimits of Buna High School;
11th Place Winner is: Wes Barnett of Buna High School;
12th Place Winner is: Oscar Martinez of Vidor High School;
13th Place Winner is: Brandon Grass of Vidor High School;
14th Place Winner is: Jabo Burns of West Hardin High School;
15th Place Winner is: David Spurgeon of West Hardin High School;
16th Place Winner is: James Anderson of Lufkin High School;
17th Place Winner is: Colton Green of Buna High School;
18th Place Winner is: Seth Sistrunk of Vidor High School;
19th Place Winner is: Danny Rose of Vidor High School;
20th Place Winner is: Don Bode of Dayton High School;
21st Place Winner is: Ty Roby of Hardin-Jefferson High School;
22nd Place Winner is: Joseph Havard of Zavalla High School;
23rd Place Winner is: William McKinney of Silsbee High School;
24th Place Winner is: Josh Mitchell of Liberty High School;
25th Place Winner is: Aubry Palmer of West Hardin High School;
26th Place Winner is: Kenneth Strohl of Hardin-Jefferson High School;
27th Place Winner is: Travis Willis of Silsbee High School;
28th Place Winner is: Timothy Herman of Lufkin High School;
29th Place Winner is Raven Lockhart of Kountze High School;
30th Place Winner is Brady Dietz of Hamshire Fannett High School;
31st Place Winner is Tevin Adams of Newton High School

Again, thank you sponsors and instructors for making this a successful event. We hope with your help to make it an annual contest!

Click to view photos from event

School-to-Work Partnerships with Region V High Schools

In Southeast Texas’ the petro-chemical industry is experiencing unprecedented growth, many are calling it the “Second Spindletop”, and with this growth, comes opportunities for our young people to get great paying jobs!  Therefore, through the dedication, financial support, and direction of the Associated Builders & Contractors Construction Training Center’s (“ABC-CTC”) Board of Trustees, as well as the many petro-chemical facilities located throughout Southeast Texas, monies have been budgeted to help fund and assist the approximately 30 high school Vo-Tech programs in the Region V Educational System.  “Build it, they will Come.  Train them, they will Stay”.

ABC-CTC’s goal is to have high school graduates leave school with approx. 1-2 years NCCER craft training and certification.  These various School-to-Work programs have been well received, especially since it’s at no cost to the school districts and offers students additional credentials and skills.  By implementing new industrial craft training programs in the high schools (i.e., Pipefitting, Welding, Carpentry, Scaffold Builder, Electrical, Millwright and Core), ABC-CTC is not only helping give the graduates an edge on their employability, but is also insuring that Southeast Texas will have a trained workforce to maintain these petro-chemical facilities for years to come.  Young people will be able to enter the workforce above the normal entry level position, and continue their education at night, at the ABC-CTC located at 2700 North Twin City Highway in Nederland, Texas. 

To accomplish this goal, ABC-CTC’s commitment is to provide each school with the needed educational materials (i.e., NCCER textbooks, shop tools, hand tools, materials and consumables).  ABC-CTC has also hired a School-to-Work Coordinator to monitor and oversee each of the schools on a routine basis throughout the school year.  The Coordinator will not only consult and assist the teachers with the program, but he’ll also be a liaison between ABC, the contractors and industry.  Additionally, as in years past, ABC-CTC will continue to, i) participate in career fairs and seminars; ii) host welding competitions for the Vo-Tech programs; and iii) offer scholarships to qualified high school graduates to attend ABC-CTC.  For more information contact ABC’s Director of Education, Kimberly Bernard, at (409) 724-7886 or kbernard@abcsetx.org.

Click here to view pictures from the Annual Region 5 Vo-Ag Welding Competition held on May 9th at ABC. This event was sponsored by:

• Orangefield High School Vo-Ag Booster Club
• ABC-SETX Training Center
• Coastal Welding Supply
• Southeast Texas Industrial Services