Adam Beer is the owner/operator of D&D Masonry and Chimney. He bought the company two years ago. He employs about 15 people. He said his visits to the Westover Job Corps Center in Massachusetts have been fruitful.

“I’ve actually been working with them about two years now. Yea, they have been great, very responsive. And we actually have two employees from the program.”

That’s two employees who are trained right here at the Westover Job Corps Center. “It’s been a pleasure to work with them,” Adam says. “The program really has produced some quality employees. I only have two employees to go off of right now. But again, it’s only been two years, but those two employees are really quality employees.”

Adam says skilled trades people are getting hard to find.

“The trades right now are kind of declining. So, there’s a huge demand for the trade which is good for us, but also bad for us because we’re looking for employees. And it’s difficult to find really quality employees. And, the structure around this program has really just produced some quality employees.”

Adam points out, “that they [new hires] can usually look for around 18 dollars and hour as a starting rate—which is fantastic!”

He says the students he has hired from the Westover center come with smiles on their faces, ready to make a difference.

“When they’re on the job site, they’re continually working. And it’s just that great attitude where they just want to keep on working and learning. Carlos, when he comes back [from a day of work], has a smile on his face; where you can just tell he learned something new that day. And that’s pretty exciting!”