NJ vocational schools honor statewide partner of year (Building and Construction Trades Council) as well as 21 county honorees – ROI-NJ.com

The New Jersey Council of County Vocational-Technical Schools honored the New Jersey Building and Construction Trades Council as the 2018 Statewide Business Partner of the Year, it announced this week.

The award is in recognition of the role the council played in support of the Securing Our Children’s Future bond referendum, NJCCVTS President Scott Moffitt said.

“The Building and Construction Trades Council played a major role in supporting the bond referendum, educating people about the importance of the ballot question authorizing a state investment in career and technical education, school security and drinking water infrastructure,” Moffitt said in a statement.

“All of New Jersey’s building trades came together to support this important statewide initiative to enhance student safety and prepare more young people with skills, certifications and degrees needed to fill critical New Jersey jobs, including those in the construction sector.”

The state Building and Construction Trades Council coordinates activity and provides resources to 15 affiliated trades unions in the construction industry. It represents 13 Local Building Trades Councils, more than 100 local unions and over 150,000 rank-and-file members.

The council also works with county vocational-technical school students interested in careers in the trade unions through the Youth Transitions to Work program in several districts.

Each of the 21 county vocational-technical school districts also recognized a business partner for a local award, including:

• Atlantic County Institute of Technology recognized  Edwin Lopez-Bernard, a pediatrician with offices in Galloway, who is also an ACIT shared-time alumnus and a graduate of Atlantic City High School.
• Bergen County Technical Schools recognized The Hospital for Special Surgery Outpatient Centerin Paramus. The hospital has partnered with BCTS over the past year in the development of curriculum for the district’s new Health Professions program.
• Burlington County Institute of Technology honored Quality Concepts Inc., of Moorestown, which collaborated with BCIT to strategically market and brand the district as the premier educational service provider for career and technical education in Burlington County.
• Camden County Technical Schools recognized Sean Reed, a senior global engineer at the Campbell Soup Co. in Camden. Reed has served as the primary contact and liaison for the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) robotics team at the Gloucester Township Campus of Camden County Technical Schools for the past three years.
• Cape May County Technical School District honored Atlantic City Electric, of Mays Landing. Atlantic City Electric, in a continuing commitment to workforce development and as part of its merger with Exelon, has funded a multiyear initiative to expand training programs and help create the pipeline of employees needed to fill future energy jobs across New Jersey.
• Cumberland County Technical Education Center honored Horizon AVL Systems Integration, of Blackwood, which designed and installed CCTEC’s state-of-the-art live broadcast studio, and has provided hands-on training and assistance for all of the new equipment.
• Essex County Schools of Technology recognized the Donald M. Payne, Sr. Global Foundation in Newark. The foundation supports students in the district’s law and public safety program by providing free college credits from Seton Hall University and myriad guest speaking engagements.
• Gloucester County Institute of Technology honored Chef John Pilarz, the owner of Anthony’s Creative Italian Cuisine in Haddon Heights, who has been an active business partner with the GCIT Culinary Arts department for more than eight years.
• Hudson County Schools of Technology recognized Andrew Campbell, the president of Eastern Millwork Inc., of Jersey City. Thanks to his sponsorship, five instructors earned Siemens Mechatronics Instructor Certification (four of them receiving their training in Germany).
• Hunterdon County Vocational School District has honored Anne Thornton, the owner of MSI Plumbing & Remodeling in Lebanon, which provides plumbing and renovation services to residential properties and business throughout central New Jersey.
• Mercer County Technical Schools has honored the New Jersey School Boards Association, located in Trenton, recognizing the work of John Henry, NJSBA’s STEAM and Sustainable Schools Specialist.
• Middlesex County Vocational & Technical Schools has honored Greg Hancox and Carolyn DeWolf of S.T.A.R. LLC, in Lyndhurst, who were instrumental in the development of the district’s Arts Technology (Technical Theater) program.
• Monmouth County Vocational School District honored Festo Didactic Inc., of Eatontown, which hosts the district’s new Advanced Manufacturing & Robotics program for shared-time students.
• Morris County Vocational School District recognized Prudential, headquartered in Newark, for actively supporting the Academy for Computer and Information Sciences for the past three years.
• Ocean County Vocational Technical School honored Viking Yachts, of New Gretna, a world leader in the production of semi-custom luxury performance sport-fishing and cruising yachts.
• Passaic County Technical Institute recognized The Market Basket, a well-known gourmet market and catering company in Franklin Lakes. The Market Basket Inc. has provided PCTI students with cooperative education and job shadowing work-based learning opportunities for students, aligning the positions based on the students’ programs of study.
• Salem County Vocational-Technical School District honored Diamond Materials, of Newport, Delaware, a full-service site contractor that provides construction services, asphalt products, and the demolition of buildings and bridges. The company’s owner, Richard Pierson Jr., is a graduate of SCTS.
• Somerset County Vocational & Technical Schools honored Richard and Debbie Norz, the owners of Norz Hill Farm in Hillsborough, for their many contributions to the district’s agricultural science and culinary arts programs over the past five years.
• Sussex County Technical School recognized Joseph Butto, the Hardyston Township Construction Official, for partnering with the carpentry shop for the past 10 years and keeping students current with the latest code, technological advancements, and industry standards.
• Union County Vocational-Technical Schools honored Mark Sproul, an engineer at Picatinny Arsenal, for providing valuable, industry-specific feedback that assisted the school in the revision of its core vocational curricula sequence, particularly in the use of two-dimensional Computer-Aided Design, a key tool in the engineering and design industry.