Farmington, CT – KBE Building Corporation recently awarded 12 technical high school students scholarships to help them pay for the costs of pursuing a construction career in the building trades or construction management. This year’s awards totaled $12,000 and eligible expenses include tuition, books, licensing and test fees, and tools needed for apprenticeships.
The scholarships were presented at a special awards event hosted by KBE at Farmington Gardens in Farmington earlier this summer. The event was attended by the scholarship recipients, their families, and a number of principals, counselors, and teachers from the Technical High School system.
“The number of young professionals pursuing degrees and certifications in the construction trades is declining and we wanted to support those students who aim to advance their skills in these fields,” explains Robert Dunn, Esq., senior vice president of KBE Building Corporation.
The 2021 Scholarship Recipients include Jonathan Jaigua, Henry Abbott Technical High School; Tessie Brooks, Howell Cheney Technical High School; Kallie Brannen, E.C. Goodwin Technical High School; Steven Fabila, Teriek Sharpe, and Jésus Cacho, Bullard Havens Technical High School; Zachary Osvald, W.F. Kaynor Technical High School; Gabe Greb, Windham Technical High School; Ty Jurgieliwicz, Alexander Orlov, and Aidan Mennillo, Oliver Wolcott Technical High School; and Roger Jimenez, J.M. Wright Technical High School.
As part of its ongoing commitment to education, KBE Building Corporation will host its fifth Annual Scholarship golf tournament on Aug. 23 with proceeds benefitting the firm’s scholarship fund. The annual scholarships are awarded to seniors at Connecticut’s Technical High School system, with $96,000 awarded to date to a total of 90 students.
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Construction companies will need to hire 430,000 more workers in 2021 than they employed in 2020, based an analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data released this past March by Associated Builders and Contractors. The analysis also revealed that every $1 billion in extra construction spending generates an average of at least 5,700 construction jobs.
“As a company, we place a high value on education and mentorship, and these scholarships are a way for us to help Connecticut to grow and maintain a highly skilled construction workforce. We have an intrinsic responsibility to help develop the future workforce of the construction industry,” says Dunn.
Commenting on the golf tournament, Dunn adds, “The tournament is a great opportunity for our clients and our peers to rally in support of encouraging students to join our industry. We are thankful to all of the players and to our sponsors for joining us in support of this mission.”
