Following Her Passion to Help Others Find Theirs | Deb Rohrbaugh

BY KATIE MAHONEY | VICE PRESIDENT, MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS

“My passion is to help people,” shares Deb Rohrbaugh, Associate Director of the Kinsley Education Center. “When I found out this apprenticeship program was a tool to help people with career opportunities, and graduated high school students, plus offer additional benefits, this is what I wanted to do.” For 16 years, Deb has been active in the program which aims to build workforce excellence and encourage career advancement in the construction trades.

“This is an opportunity to learn a trade and receive a salary, with company benefits, while learning,” shares Deb. “Construction in many aspects is here to stay. There are growing opportunities for life sustaining careers, and construction is always evolving in technology, safety, and better techniques.”

While the construction trade tends to be male dominated, Deb encourages women to consider the opportunity, and know they will be supported. “If you are willing to work and have a positive attitude that is willing to learn, this could be a career for you to pursue,” shares Deb. From running heavy equipment, and teaching students on simulators, Kinsley continues to evolve on the cutting edge of technology in their industry, and for their students.

Where apprentices start with minimal knowledge, work with our instructors, and field mentors, with the potential for lead positions in their future with Kinsley – that is a win-win!

This program was a passion of Mr. Bob Kinsley, the founder of Kinsley Construction who passed in 2020. “He was very supportive and passionate of the apprenticeship program for growth and opportunities. Bob wanted people to learn the trade and the skills needed to be successful. Also, rather than work all day and school at night, he designed the program to pay students for schooling during the day. That’s how passionate he was about teaching the trade,” shares Deb. With the support of the Kinsley family, a new Pre-apprenticeship program was launched for area high school seniors with York County Alliance for Learning. They work with instructors in the classroom and existing apprentices as a mentor.

As she approaches retirement in June, Deb is grateful for the opportunity to be part of the apprenticeship program, and part of Kinsley Construction.

Q: What advice would you share for women looking to enter a male-dominated field like construction?

A: "If that’s your passion, go for it. Learn the skill, learn the trade. It’s very rewarding to drive on a highway where you had a part of the construction, or the pride in being part of building something. It’s tangible. There are a lot of benefits to this career path - you get to travel to different job sites and locations, and have a life-sustaining salary while developing knowledge you can transform into your own home.”