Philly students gain full-time employment through trade studies; how you can involve your student
Philly students in building trades receive internships leading to employment
A partnership between a Philadelphia high school and a local HVAC and mechanical service company is not only leading to student internships, but also full-time jobs.
NORTHEAST PHILADELPHIA - The School District of Philadelphia said student internships at Elliott-Lewis Corporation, a Philadelphia-based HVAC and mechanical service company, are leading to full-time careers in the building trades.
What they're saying:
David Pagan is a high school junior who chose to attend Jules E. Mastbaum because of his interest in plumbing that all started at his grandmother’s house.
"One day I was at my grandma’s house and her pipe had burst and I couldn’t do nothing about it," said Pagan. "So, I actually started looking up plumbing videos and stuff like that."
Pagan is interning with Elliott-Lewis this summer and gets to work right alongside professionals in a variety of commercial buildings throughout Philadelphia.
One of his mentors, Joel Daley, graduated from Mastbaum last year and now works full-time servicing Philadelphia Family Court.
"Most of the stuff that I’ve learned here have actually applied into the job that I’m doing now, so I mean it was a great head start," said Daley inside the workshop at Mastbaum. "Every day isn’t the same. One day we’re fixing a clogged toilet, the next day we’re fixing a heater, the next day we’re fixing an elevator, so it all depends on whatever the building needs."
By the numbers:
According to the school district, students who are given the opportunity to work for Elliott-Lewis as a full-time union employee can earn between $21 to $53 an hour.
Robert Williams is the Electric Technology teacher at Jules E. Mastbaum AVTS and said he’s delighted by his students’ success.
Williams spent three decades working in the electrical field and wanted to start giving back through teaching.
"It can change the whole trajectory, not only of their future, but also of their families as well," said Williams. "It allowed me to earn a good living where I could take care of not only myself, but also my family - mom, dad, grandmother."
Elliott Lewis said the internship program has been going strong with the school district for about 20 years and hiring has ramped up significantly in recent years.
"Talent does not discriminate and opportunities do, and so being an employer who gets to work with students in the city and bring those opportunities to them, it means that we’re doing our part in the community," said Mary Rose Pinter, HR Team at Elliott-Lewis Corporation. "My hope is that other employers get to learn more about what this school is doing, and also hire students because this is the next generation and they are so talented and they are ready to go to work."
Big picture view:
Daniel Sanchez graduated from Mastbaum in June and already the 18-year-old is working full-time at Elliott-Lewis focusing his building skills at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.
"This is where it all started - electrical class. I wouldn’t be able to be in a company that I’m with without them," said Sanchez. "In general, having the trade classes in automotive, carpentry, electrical I think it’s really good and I think a lot of high schools that don’t have it should because it can take students to a higher place."