Students focus on jobs in the trades: Learn of good opportunities on the Island

Teacher James “Jimbo” Theinert’s “Externship Program” continues to thrive and expand since its launch in 2023. When he reached out to the Board of Education for support then, his idea was to augment classroom education with real life experiences in the workforce.

Mr. Theinert’s  most recent excursion with students enrolled in the program was to give them a taste of trade jobs in the private and public sectors. He found just the person with the experience to offer the students advice and information abut trade jobs — Town Highway Superintendent and Commissioner of Public Works Ken Lewis Jr.

More than 10 years ago, before moving to the public sector, Mr. Lewis had experience as a construction manager for Binder Pools. And before being elected to his position as superintendent, he worked for the Highway Department as a heavy equipment operator.

What drew Mr. Lewis to agree to meet with students in the Externship Program was the reality that not everybody knows what they want to do with their lives when they graduate from high school, he said. What he hopes students will gain through the program is an understanding of what various trade jobs entail; what kind of training they need; and a deeper understanding of specific jobs that can mesh with their personal goals.

He also wants them to know there are jobs on the Island that can make use of their skills, pay well and afford them opportunities for advancement.

The State University of New York offers training programs in trades and these jobs are generally well paid and present multiple opportunities, Mr. Lewis said.

Initially, he met with a group of students in the classroom to answer questions, then had them at the Recycling Center with two of his workers — Brett Page and Aiden Mysliborski — to share information about jobs in the Highway and Public Works departments and give them some hands-on experience operating an excavator.

“It was cool to operate the excavator,” a 9th-grade student in the program said.

“It was really helpful to see a certain career path and try to envision your future,” a 10th-grader said. “It’s important to see what your work environment and surroundings might look like.”

The student found it valuable to learn about the skills he would need, trade school opportunities for training and also what skills would be necessary at the Highway Department.

The 9th-grader said he appreciated hearing about pension opportunities available to Highway Department workers. “It was valuable to see the inside of everything,” another 9th-grade student said. He expressed surprise at seeing “how complex the operation is and how it’s run by a core group of people,” he said. “I came away with a better understanding of how the whole department operates and how they support other town departments.”

Mr. Theinert, a math and business teacher and coordinator of the Externship Program, praised Mr. Lewis for sharing his experience and making students aware of job opportunities on the Island. “The experience allowed them to gain exposure to what people who work for the Highway Department do on a regular basis and increase their understanding of this vital Town department,” he said. “I look forward to continuing our collaboration with the Highway Department by exploring more of the skills needed to be successful in this field.” 

Mr. Lewis expressed similar hopes, talking about the possibility of summer jobs with the department.

“I think this is an excellent program,” Mr. Lewis said “The young men that attended were all polite and professional and I think they got to see firsthand the kind of job opportunities that exist in the Highway and Public Works departments,” he said. “It was a pleasure to speak with them and I look forward to doing more with Jimbo’s program in the future.”