In Minneapolis, Minnesota there is a passion for providing opportunity to the community. Chris Hinton, Construction Training Manager at Summit Academy OIC and the electrician instructors are always finding new and innovative ways to engage the students. Since 1998, this 20-week job placement adult vocational school has offered programs to prepare students for a variety of careers immediately following graduation, including Pre-apprentice electricians, Pre-apprentice carpentry, IT, Medical Administration Assistant and houses a STEM program for youth.
There are a team of advisors available to help with life barriers, including aid with housing, transportation, food resources, and any other assistance needed. When you become a student at Summit, you become a part of a family. The passionate folks running this one-of-a-kind school are always looking for ways to help students remain focused on completing the program so they can walk out the door with a career and a new sense of hope.
To provide real-life experience, Summit engages the community to provide opportunities to the students. So when Aldridge DBE Compliance Officer, Mike Toney, reached out to Summit Academy for a partnership opportunity, they were eager to welcome our group for a different kind of experience. The Aldridge 53’ utility training trailer and Training Manager, Bill Sullivan, spoke with students about the benefits of working in the electrical industry. With a focus on psychological safety, Sullivan provided a tailored confined space safe entry training to give students basic knowledge on what to expect should they wish to pursue a career as an electrician in the utility market.
Finally, students go through our IIF (Incident and Injury Free) orientation, to really drive home the message of safety first and the importance of getting everyone home safely each day. Safety is number one at Summit too, and students used their knowledge gained from Summit with their real-life experience to engage in meaningful conversations on how to be focused on situational awareness and speak up despite the possibility of being the most inexperienced person in the room.
The Aldridge/Parson JV is honored to provide this day of training to the students at Summit Academy and is always looking for new and purposeful ways to engage the communities in which we work, and build and grow the upcoming generations of students moving forward.
To learn more about the Summit Academy OIC, visit https://saoic.org/
