Blueprint For Your Future

Midlands Education and Business Alliance Connects 93 Students and Educators from Midlands’ Schools to Careers in Architecture and Construction at the Carolina Classic Home and Garden Show

Midlands Education and Business Alliance, SC Department of Commerce and Building Industry Association of Central South Carolina hosted 93 students and educators from Midland’s school districts this past Friday at the Carolina Classic Home and Garden Show.

Stan Beckley, Segment Sector Manager for BMC and Chairperson for BIA of CSC’s Workforce and Education task force, welcomed students and educators to Blueprint for Your Future. Mr. Beckley invited students to take part in a fast growing career field full of opportunity to include business development, construction management, real estate, carpentry, industrial technologies, landscaping, architecture and beyond. Blueprint for Your Future is a student field study designed for students interested in architecture and construction career paths. The event allows students to learn more about these careers, earning potential, required skills and education, and extended learning opportunities available like job shadowing and internships. Blueprint for Your Future is an important experience for students as it provides them with real world exposure as they make important decisions about career and college.

MEBA constructed a panel of experts from the Midlands to address the students including Mark Hood (Hood Construction), Charlie Marra (Chapin Concrete), Tim Kehoe (Kehoe Constructors), Patrick Bukszar (Essex Homes) and Bill Barton (Specialty Woodworks). Students learned first-hand about current and future workforce needs, opportunities for entrepreneurship, employer expectations, required education and industry credentials, and more. Mr. Bukszar with Essex Homes told students an employee’s attitude is directly connected to their growth in a career in construction, “if you are asked to sweep a floor, do your very best at sweeping the floor because it will not go unnoticed and will show people you take pride in your work. A strong work ethic, pride, determination, willingness to learn and dependability will help you be successful in the construction industry.”

Following the expert panel discussion, Alan Clayton, Department Chair at Midlands Technical College, presented industrial technology programs offered by the college to include Building Construction Technology, Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning Technology, Commercial Graphic Technology, Automotive Technology and Machine Tool Technology. During the second half of the field study, students toured the home and garden show to learn more about industry careers and had the opportunity to network with various businesses related to the construction industry.

“Connecting with business and industry through job shadowing, internships and field studies like Blueprint for your Future provide students exposure to the real world as they make plans for their future,” said Stan Beckley, Chairman of the Workforce and Education Task Force of the Building Industry Association of Central SC.