Penobscot Job Corps’ Advanced Manufacturing students got a unique opportunity this fall to test their skills while learning about career opportunities in their field.
The students and their instructor, Grant Furman, were invited to attend the Cianbro job fair and skills competition at the Augusta Civic Center in November. The event is designed to give students a bird’s eye view of the construction world and discuss possible career paths with Maine employers. Cianbro is a worldwide giant in commercial building and construction management.
The event featured trades like welding, construction, electrical, pipe fitting, overhead linesmen, crane, backhoe and folk life operations; robotics and more. Part of the day included a Welding competition in which six Job Corps students went head-to-head with their peers from other Maine training institutions and Cianbro employees — testing their knowledge of the trade.
Competing from PJCA were Josh Lowell, Orrin Moody, George Gehrling, Kirsi Trafton, Justin Mitchell and Ryan Dearborn. The competitors had one hour to complete a “horizontal and vertical bend test” to the satisfaction of the judges.
“It was a good way for us to see how our welding work stacked up to real life inspections,” said Moody, 24, of Madison, Maine. “All of my welds passed the visual test and that was a great pat on the back for me.”
Justin Mitchell, 19, of New Hampshire, said the experience taught him a lot about where he is skill-wise and where he needs to be to be successful in today’s industry.
“I didn’t win this time but now I know what it feels like to work on my craft under pressure,” Mitchell said. “It was a great learning experience for all of us.”