By Cassie King

ABC Commercial Construction Prep Academy hosted a signing-day event May 17 to acknowledge students who completed its training programs and secured positions in the construction industry.

“This country doesn’t move without the building trade industry, so these young men and women who are going to walk across the stage are going to be there to build this country to its next level,” ABC instructor and coordinator Rich Gregor said.

Several industry representatives attended to offer positions to this year’s graduates. Pawel David, president of David Electric, presented James Schockley and Sam Anderson with full-time jobs.

“While discussing my junior year schedule with my counselor, I shared that college may not be the right path for me,” said Shockley, a Fishers High School senior who will graduate June 1. “He recommended the ABC Prep Academy to me. This is a way for me to learn a new skill for the future that I can keep with me and turn into a career without taking on college debt.”

Anderson is a senior at Noblesville High School and will graduate June 4.

“I didn’t feel like I wanted to pursue college straight out of high school,” he said. “I enjoy learning through working with my hands more than sitting at a desk. When I learned about ABC, I knew that this program could get me the training I needed to go straight into the workforce. The program has given me opportunities to develop leadership skills, start professional training while in high school and have a definitive path to a career.”

Anderson said he would continue the program for three more years to get an associate degree and his journeyman’s license with no debt.

The graduation ceremony was at the Fishers location, 11837 Technology

Dr. Robert Kneberg, ABC outreach specialist, opened the ceremony with words of welcome and credited the collaboration of local schools and member businesses for the program’s success.

For more information about ABC Prep Academy, visit abcindianakentucky.org.