The Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District is offering students a unique opportunity to pursue a career in the electrical industry by launching an in-house training program for the 2019-20 school year.
Upon completion of the Bellmore-Merrick Electrical Training Center, students will receive 450 hours of electrical training from certified electrical teachers, a certificate of completion from the Electrical Training Center based in Copiague, a 10-hour Occupational Safety and Health Administration training for Construction Electrical and three elective credits of independent study students toward New York State Education Department graduation requirements. Students will later have access to numerous partnerships with private contractors and local unions who collaborate with the ETC.
“We want appeal to every kid, with every kind of interest by offering programs such as this, culinary arts, broadcasting, drama, etc.,” said Superintendent of Schools John DeTommaso.
Led by director Salvatore Ferrara and his teaching staff, the program currently accommodates 14 seniors.
Andrew Vogel, a senior at Sanford H. Calhoun High School, plans on pursuing a career as a residential electrician.
“If this program wasn’t in place, I probably wouldn’t have sought out one outside of school,” he said.
Joseph Santagata, also from Calhoun, said he enjoys working in a hands-on learning environment.
“I’ve worked with my father building sets on Broadway before and plan on becoming an electrician in theaters,” he added. “This program offers a more convenient schedule.”
The 450-hour program takes place four days a week after school hours and is housed at the Brookside building in Merrick. A previously unused room was transformed into a work area. Students will begin with job site and equipment safety training before building their own workstations from scratch.
Photo caption: Program Director Salvatore Ferrara of the Electrical Training Center explained ladder safety and proper use to Joseph Santagata of Calhoun.
Photo courtesy of the Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District
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