Photo, left to right: Nicholas Gray from Colrain, Myla Chaisson from New Salem, FCTS Superintendent Richard Lane, Clark Ciesluk from Whately, Christopher Zukowski from Northfield, Ken Garber from WMECO, and John Cutler from Millers Falls.

Franklin County Technical School is collaborating with the Western Mass Electric Company to provide future employment opportunities for students from the Tech School’s Electrical program.

This collaboration is in its fifth year but is now significantly ramping up as WMECO estimates huge employment opportunities over the next few years due to upcoming retirements in its workforce.

Four juniors and one senior have been selected from Tech’s Electrical program to participate this year. This includes a summer internship with WMECO as well as on-line coursework on the Mathematics of Electricity, Industrial Aptitude Test Prep, and Orientation to the Electrical Industry. The Franklin/Hampshire Regional Employment will provide an additional layer of career counseling and support for these students.

Two former graduates from this internship program are currently employed by local power companies and the expectation is that additional hiring will occur as openings become available. These positions have significant earning potential. Salaries for first year employees are around $40,000 and for five year employees $70,000 - more is possible with overtime opportunity.

A kick-off dinner was held recently at Franklin County Technical School involving all participants including the five students and their parents. At this event, Superintendent Richard Lane applauded the initiative of the students selected from a pool of applicants for this competitive program, and stated, “Congratulations for taking a very important first step toward assuming more responsibility for your learning and toward building a secure and exciting future in the power industry.”



October 2008