Bucks County Community College celebrated six Building & Construction Trades Pre-Apprenticeship program students during their inaugural cohort graduation on June 15 at the new Center for Advanced Technologies on the Gene and Marlene Epstein Campus at Lower Bucks in Bristol.

Graduates of this 10-week program will be applying for union-registered apprenticeships. 

The program, funded through a PA Department of Labor and Industry PAsmart grant and believed to be the first of its kind in Pennsylvania, consists of 288-hour curricula that provides the fundamental education necessary for graduates to apply for a Registered Apprenticeship Program to potentially secure a high-paying, family-sustaining job.

Luke Millevoi of Conshohocken, a member of the inaugural cohort of students who graduated from the program, praised the learning opportunities it provided him.

“Through this hands-on training and classroom instruction, I’ve gained a comprehensive understanding of the trades, and I am confident in my ability to contribute effectively to the workforce,” he said.

Anjeannette Parlin of Philadelphia, another member of the inaugural cohort, said she chose to enter the Building and Construction Trades program because, “it ties into what I want to do in life, which is real estate and development.”

Parlin, who has applied to be accepted into Philadelphia Carpenters Local 158 and Sheet Metal Workers Local 19, said that she enjoyed every day being in the program and that, “these were some of the best weeks of my life. I’m forever grateful for the opportunity, the knowledge, the experience, and exposure that I’ve gotten from these past 10 weeks.”

Learn more at Bucks County Community College.