Horizontal Construction Course Leads to Opportunities

“Students will receive experiences in the program best described as horizontal construction. This includes excavation, soil, concrete, asphalt, aggregate, road construction, site development, heavy equipment and bridge work,” Sutton said. “Participants will be exposed to these industries and the opportunities available to them from business in the community.”

Through the course, students will have the opportunity to visit job sites, participate in relevant hands-on lab experiences, as well as meet industry professionals from many different businesses, he added.

E&B Paving did all the paving and curbing in school-owned Brennan Estates subdivision last year and was part of resurfacing the school parking lots this year, according to company representative Nick Timmerman.

“It’s been a very good success in Garrett and we want to continue to give back to the program,” Timmerman said. “Chad has been an awesome partner with us. We are trying to get some of the kids to come and work with us with internships and hire them on so they have a full-time job before they graduate.

“When done with the horizontal construction program, the goal is that the students are ready to come to a company such as E&B Paving,” where they will continue to have training and be able to join a union, Timmerman added.

“We obviously want them to work for us. We just want to give them the best opportunity possible to get a job in the industry. My goal is, in January or February, we could say ‘Once you graduate, you have an offer at E&B Paving’ and have a signing ceremony,” he added. “Now when they graduate, they know they have a job at E&B Paving.”

Students in the Career Development Program also work on welding and mechanics, among other programs. The program’s 34 students, including nine seniors, meet in four classes.

“This way, they have a chance to see everything,” Sutton said of the program. “They may want to be a mechanic — wherever they want to go, we want them to find their way.”