Cleveland-Based Contractor Starts School-To-Work Program

Commercial Contractor Dick Starr, chairman of the Cleveland chapter of the Mechanical Service Contractor's Association, spearheaded a school-to-work program in conjunction with local vocational schools and Pipefitters Local Union No. 120.

Signed into action last month, the program is designed to serve as an effective transition from to work by giving qualified high school students an outstanding academic education while instilling in them an understanding of the work and skills necessary for competing in the world of work.

The program is skill based, labor- and industry-approved and directly linked to explicit workplace situations. Qualified students earn $8.50 per hour to start and are guaranteed admission into the union upon graduation.

To be considered for the program, an applicant must meet the following requirements:

• Be at least 16 years of age. Applicants will be required to provide a copy of their birth certificate or some other acceptable proof of age
  
  
• Have attended a minimum of 95 percent of scheduled classes during the freshman and sophomore years
  
  
• Have maintained a 3.0 grade point average ("B") on a 4.0 scale in classes related to the trade and a 2.5 grade, point average since entering the vocational program
  
  
• Receive a written recommendation from at least one teacher in a class related to the trade
  
  
• Be able to perform the essential functions of the trade with or without reasonable accommodation and without posing a direct threat to the safety or health of any individual or others
  
  
• Complete a substance abuse screening profile.

Starr is president of The Enterprise Corp., a Twinsburg-based Design/Build/Maintain contracting firm specializing in commercial/industrial heating, ventilating, air conditioning building controls and indoor air quality.

Interested students may call Starr's office at (330) 425-8000 or e-mail him at rstarr@enterprisehvac.com