Shaping Tomorrow’s Workforce

We are an AACPS: Business Partnership | 2019 Business Partner of the Year

Recognized for their support of AACPS by the Office Career & Technology Internships

The United States Coast Guard Yard Structural Group has been an incredible partner for the Centers of Applied Technology for over two decades. The Yard is a full-service shipyard that builds, repairs, and renovates ships for the United States Coast Guard. Through their long-standing partnership with AACPS, the Yard Structural Group exemplifies the power that investing in students today can have on shaping the workforce of tomorrow.

Throughout the year, men and women from the Yard’s Structural Group can be seen in the schools, helping with career exploration, preparation, and the learning of essential skills. They participate in open house events at the Centers of Applied Technology to showcase the value of technical/trade programs and share opportunities that are available to students who participate in the programs—opportunities that many at the Yard understand first-hand. This is because 65 of the Yard’s current employees are Anne Arundel County Public School graduates and Career Completer’s of the Centers Applied Technology programs. The majority of these employees began their career as internships/work-based learning students and several of these former graduates have risen to leadership positions.

CAT-North Graduates Adam Cole and Michael Galante

Michael Galante, Structural Group Assistant General Foreman and CAT-North graduate, believes that AACPS prepares students for careers better than anyone in Maryland. Over the past several years, he and fellow CAT-North Grad Adam Cole, Structural Group General Foreman, have been working to ensure the Yard continues its support of the Centers of Applied Technology by serving on program advisory committees, mentoring student interns, and encouraging other members of the business and industry community to support the school system.

When asked about his support of the CAT programs, Mr. Galante said, “I believe that to build a smart and competent workforce it starts with the basic fundamental trade skills that industries demand, which brings me back to the Anne Arundel County Public Schools C.A.T Centers due their commitment to build young students into workforce ready technical trade careers. The C.A.T Centers excel in laying down a foundation to give these young people the opportunity to succeed and grow in their respective fields. When I was a young student, I am truly grateful for the experiences and skills that I learned from these teachers to shape me into the tradesman that I am today”

Members of the Yard give their time year after year to participate in mock interviews. This activity allows students to practice their interview skills in a mentoring setting and often leads to internship positions. In addition, they offer field trips to the Yard so that students are able to see how the skills they are learning in the classroom are relevant to their future careers. They are always willing to come to the classroom to work with students and this year, they have even taken the career preparation one step further by helping students in the Welding program, Carpentry program, HVAC program and Marine Technology Program to prepare these students for careers in many certification processes.

Fellow CAT grad Adam Cole shared, “The skills and knowledge that students gain at the CAT schools are priceless.  There are too many people that feel college is the only avenue to a successful career and working in a trade is lackluster.  We are strengthening the push with the CAT schools to help raise awareness of the great opportunities that are still offered in trades and are often overlooked by a lot of people.  The CAT program instilled me with basic work ethics, attitude, and general knowledge to be a successful tradesman and prepare me for this opportunity that has become my career for the last 16 years and counting.  We need to continue to invest into these programs and insist more programs like this become available to students throughout the state of Maryland. ”

At every turn, the Yard’s Structural Group is helping to prepare our students to be ready and excited for the careers they will enter after high school. The Yard’s commitment to supporting AACPS has had a lasting impact on the students in our schools, making this partner a model for schools and business partnerships across the county.