By James Kent
CASTLETON—On a cold May 20 morning, school bus after school bus began to pull into the Castleton University parking lot after 9 a.m. More than 2,200 registered high-school students and other attendees arrived for the inaugural Bring Back the Trades event in Vermont. Bring Back the Trades, a New Hampshire organization recognizes the need to bring high-schoolers and the trades together, and helps support both with events like these. While not the first Bring Back the Trades event, it was their first time visiting Vermont, and with a sell-out crowd, and more than 80 participating vendors, the day already proved itself a success.
The vendors on hand, from construction and building to electricity, community service providers, landscapers, hospitality, and more, came to Castleton to show high school students that there are a variety of trades they can pursue after high school.
Ira Sweet, the owner of Concrete Impressions in Bennington, came with his foreman, Andrew Burout, to let interested students know that a career in concrete could be rewarding and fun. They do a lot of interesting projects, from countertops to intricate walkways, decks, patios, and everything in between. Sweet said he started with Concrete Impressions as a summer job in high school. Fifteen years later, he is the owner. And Burout has been working with concrete for the past 10 years, and loves the family atmosphere of working at Concrete Impressions.
Bring Back the Trades’ secretary Kimberly Sullivan-Brewer said that while they did not yet have a follow-up event scheduled for Vermont, they have another big trades event in October at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts. In addition to these learning events, Bring Back the Trades awards $1,500 monthly scholarships to anyone who is either part of a post-secondary education in skilled trades or has accrued finances from such education.
For more information, visit: bringbackthetrades.org.
For information on Concrete Impressions, visit: concreteimpressionsvt.com.
