Congratulations to the following apprentices that successfully graduated from the Builders Association of North Central Florida’s (BANCF) apprenticeship program at Santa Fe College May 15. Having attended class twice a week for four years while working full time amounts to 8,000 hours of on-the-job training, plus 600 hours of classroom instruction.
These graduates are dedicated, well-trained employees whom have become great assets to the companies they work for, and also our local industry. Over 50 percent of our graduating electricians have passed the journeyman’s exam, and have proven they have what it takes to be considered a skilled tradesperson. This graduating class has participated in four Habitat houses that were constructed in the Charles R. Perry Construction Institute.
The apprenticeship program offers courses in four trades: electrical, heating and air conditioning, plumbing, and carpentry. Like most individuals, I happened to love lights, air conditioning, running water, and a well-constructed roof over my head. Please support and appreciate the apprentice’s hard work and dedication, and be thankful for the local contractors that invest time and money into these apprentices. Also, the support this program gets from our local Builders Association and Santa Fe College.
Finally, we all know that this program wouldn’t be as successful as it is without the great instructors that we have. The instructors we have are from industry and truly care for the student’s development both professionally and personally.
Special Thanks to all the speakers:
Vinnie Moreschi – CPPI, President of Builder’s Association North Central Florida
Mark Hurm – Mark Hurm & Company, Chair of BANCF Master Trades Committee
Jane Parkin – Director, Construction and Technical Programs, Santa Fe College
John McNeely – Associate VP for Academic Affairs for Career and Technical Education
Representative Keith Perry – Florida House of Representatives
Also, special thanks to Graybar for donating gifts to all of the apprentices and instructors. We really appreciate this extremely generous offering.
I would also like to thank Bob Fetterman and his fantastic staff for letting us use the Fine Arts foyer for our event. It is always a pleasure working with you.
Our 2014 graduates:
Electrical
Keith J. Basel Jr, Vintage Electric
Randy R. Berta, George Grimm Electric
Jarrod B. Behrens, Bill Wells Corp.
Asa B. Blair, Burgess & Dudley, Inc.
Sean A. Flanick, SFC Facilities Services
Thomas A. Forehand, Mid-State Inc.
Shane T. Hamm, UF Physical Plant
Eric S. Hamlin, Bill Wells Corp.
Louis McReynolds III, Mid-State Inc.
Ryan M. Price, Mid-State Inc.
Jones W. Roderick, UF Physical Plant
Jose Evandro Santos
Lima Tucker, Preston-Link Electric
Heating and Air Conditioning
Jonathan D. Adkins, Facilities Maintenance of Gainesville
Ricky A. Boyd Jr, Comfort Temp Company
Michael Blackwelder, Comfort Temp Company
Michael D. Gaines, School Board of Alachua County
Gheorghe I. Nechifor, Barr Systems
Richard D. Parenteau, Bertie Heating & Air
Kenneth Stephens Jr, Comfort Temp Company
