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Education briefs
Construction students compete in Atlanta
Students from Western Carolina University’s Kimmel School of Construction recently had the opportunity to participate in real-world construction scenarios at the Associated Schools of Construction Region II competition in Atlanta.
Six students competed in the open concrete category that is sponsored by Baker Concrete Construction and the project was a mixed-use, 27-story concrete midrise structure with retail space, parking deck and apartments in Charlotte.
“This team had been working hard all semester to prepare for this competition,” said Bruce Gehrig, director of the Kimmel School of Construction Management. “Early on in the semester, we got a sense of the type of project, but no specifics, so we worked on scenarios throughout the semester to prepare the students. Once the actual project was identified, they had 24 hours to develop their operational plan for the project. Companies typically spend six months or more developing plans for a project of this scale.”
While the team did not place in the competition, the experience they gained was invaluable to their academics and future career.
The team members that competed in the open concrete category were Logan Fender, senior from Candler; Lane Horton, senior from Jonesville; John Brand, senior from Rutherfordton; Jackson Parrott, senior from Durham; Scout Schulhofer, senior from Canton; Grayson Perkins, senior from Pueblo, Colorado.
While preparing for the competition, the students received support from Lithko Contracting in the form of a project scenario and funding. Lithko Contracting then donated $6,500 to cover the expenses of sending the students to the competition.
The students also competed in another category, the ASC Shadow Competition, which was sponsored by Phillips and Jordan Construction. The project for this category was the sitework for a facility located in the Florida Space Coast region.
For the project, students were randomly teamed with students from other universities and had four hours to develop project deliverables including a PowerPoint presentation. WCU students Tate Calhoun and Clayton Ott were on the first-place team and Megan McIntosh was on the team that finished second.
Team members Logan Fender, Lane Horton, John Brand, Jackson Parrott, Scout Schulhofer and Grayson Perkins competed in the open concrete category.
Sylva launches culinary apprentice program
The Main Street Sylva Association (MSSA) has partnered with Southwestern Community College and ApprenticeshipNC to launch a Culinary Apprentice program for downtown Sylva.
“One of the most hard-hit industries regarding nation-wide staff shortages is restaurant industry,” said Bernadette Peters, Main Street Economic Development Director. “We wanted to do something to help our downtown restaurants cultivate local culinary talent and retain them. The ApprenticeshipNC program is something we could leverage to meet that goal and give young professionals an amazing career opportunity.”
A registered apprenticeship is a training program designed to meet the needs of the employer by providing the employee with structured on-thejob learning, related instruction and a progressive wage scale. Additionally, this year, funding was set aside by the state of North Carolina to offset training costs, and provide incentives for the employers.
Apprentices receive hands-on learning and job-related classroom or technical training, wages that increase as new skills are learned, and the opportunity to earn a culinary certificate or degree.
Businesses participating in the apprentice program are City Lights Café, Dalaya Thai Cuisine, Lulu’s Café, and Guadalupe Café. Mad Batter Kitchen and Balsam Falls are still seeking ApprenticeNC candidates.
“The culinary apprentice program is just what we needed to bring back a good employee who had taken another position,” said, Donna DiGiorgio, Managing Partner of City Lights Café. “Plus, our apprentice, Nakoma has stepped up our options for our baked goods and catering as he is learning and practicing new skills.”
Jennifer Abbey is the new work-based learning coordinator at Southwestern Community College who had the vision to make this program happen in Sylva. Peters indicated that Abbey has been a great resource in navigating the state’s incentives and customizing the culinary apprentice program for the Town of Sylva.
For more information, visit mainstreetsylva.org, send an email to mainstreet@townofsylva.org or 828.586.2719.
Western Carolina University’s Jamaica Teacher’s Program recently held two commencement ceremonies in Kingston and Montego Bay.
In October 2022, faculty and staff from WCU’S College of Education and Allied Professions and the Division of Educational Outreach traveled to Jamaica to resume in-person classes for the first time since 2020 and to hold the commencement ceremonies for the final two bachelor of science in education cohorts to go through the program.
A combined 37 students received degrees from WCU during the ceremonies. Alumni that earned master’s degrees during the COVID-19 pandemic were also invited to walk in the in-person ceremony.
“The primary goal of the WCU Jamaica Teacher’s Program is to provide advanced studies in school leadership and in inclusive educational practices, areas on expertise needed in Jamaican schools,” said Carolyn Callaghan, executive director of the Division of Educational Outreach. “Additionally, a secondary goal is to enable Jamaican teachers to raise their teaching qualifications to the master’s level. Since the program’s inception in the early 1970s, more than 4,000 Jamaican teachers have earned a Bachelor of Science in education degree from WCU.”
While bachelor’s degrees will no longer be offered, WCU will continue to offer master’s in education degree programs in Kingston, Montego Bay and Discovery Bay.
The program began in 1970 when a select group of student teachers from WCU were chosen to complete their student teaching internship in Jamaica. These students were interested in acquiring a meaningful educational experience in another culture.
Since then, concentrations have also been offered in school administration, special education, early childhood education and math/science. In addition, a graduate degree in educational supervision was added in the late 90s and special education was added in 2018.
For more information about the program, visit jamaica.wcu.edu.
