Rising Stars – 91��Ƭ

91��Ƭ Career & Technical Institute Hosts Guidance Counselor Luncheon for High School Staff

Michelle Lang — Mon, 18 Mar 2024 14:48:18 +0000

, 274 South Orange Ave., Newark, invited area high school staff members to its first Guidance Counselor Luncheon on March 14. The event, held at Monsignor William J. Linder Plaza, introduced guidance counselors to NCCTI staff members, employer partners and students. They learned about the accredited school’s post-secondary programs and had the opportunity to ask questions.

In addition to presentations from NCCTI staff, attendees heard from employer partners who work with the school and hire graduates. Brendan Gordon of said he looks forward to continuing the partnership with NCCTI.

“Every single student that’s come through our system has been absolutely fantastic,” he said.

David Hutchinson of , who also founded the Rising Stars program that introduces students in the NCCTI Building Trades Specialist program to a variety of speakers and opportunities in that industry, said he’s happy to continue the three-year partnership with NCCTI.

Rebecca Colon of discussed a recent trip NCCTI medical students took to the hospital where they had the opportunity to see medical staff in action and ask questions they had about the working environment.

Molly Cusack of talked about how her organization’s talent acquisition specialists conducted mock interviews with NCCTI medical students to help prepare them for the hiring process.

“The students were fantastic,” she said. “Three of them volunteered right away to do the mock interview in front of the entire class.”

NCCTI Medical Assistant Clinical (MAC) graduate Sabriya Lovingood, NCCTI Patient Care Technician (PCT) graduate Monica Parker and current PCT student Christopher “Sky” Oms talked about their experiences at the school and answered questions.

Lovingood currently works at the in the OBGYN department. She was inspired to enter the medical field after accompanying her mother to the hospital and seeing the care she received. She is grateful she enrolled in NCCTI.

“I would like to thank everyone at NCCTI because you helped me so much and helped me grow so much and understand myself,” she said.

Parker explained that she was the oldest student in her class but that didn’t stop her from pursuing her certification and it didn’t deter NCCTI staff members from helping her achieve her goals. She currently works at Saint Michael’s Medical Center.

“The experience at the school is awesome. The staff is awesome,” she said. “They pay attention to what you need. I needed a lot of support. And they gave it to me.”

Oms is finishing up the PCT program at NCCTI and looks forward to starting his career in the medical field. He said his experience at NCCTI has been “amazing.” He heard about the school from a friend who knew he was looking to start working in the medical field.

“I always wanted to help people,” he said.

That desire has motivated him to work hard to earn his certification. He walks to and from school every day and enjoys his time in the classroom.

“It’s an amazing place to be,” he said of NCCTI.

91��Ƭ Career & Technical Institute Student Uses Building Trades Specialist Program to Launch Career After Incarceration

Michelle Lang — Wed, 08 Feb 2023 14:50:20 +0000

91��Ƭ Career & Technical Institute (NCCTI) helps students of all ages and circumstances reach their goals. Andre Moore is 47 years old and is currently residing in a halfway house. While others living in the facility were looking for jobs, Moore decided he wanted to enroll in a trade school to learn valuable skills that could help him launch a career after his release date.

Moore is currently enrolled in NCCTI’s Building Trades Specialist program with aspirations to use the knowledge and skills he gains to become a business owner in the construction industry. He began the program in October and is on track to graduate in the spring. His release date from the halfway house is Oct. 27, 2023.

Ever since he was in his early 20s, Moore has wanted to gain the skills to build his own house. While in prison, he learned masonry and wanted to build upon that with a trade school, which is how he settled on the Building Trades Specialist program at NCCTI. He enjoys the program and is learning a lot.

“I love it here,” he said.

Moore said that his instructor, Yusto Awich, is one of the best teachers he has ever had. He said Awich makes learning fun and challenges his students to help them reach their full potential. Awich has even helped Moore look up civil engineering programs, which he is researching for potential enrollment after graduation.

Awich said he is happy to have Moore in his class.

“Andre’s dedicated, on time and willing to learn and explore more than he’s taught,” Awich said.

As a Building Trades Specialist student, Moore is also part of the , which is a partnership between NCCTI and that aims to introduce students to a variety of aspects of the construction industry and connect them to job opportunities. Rising Stars, run by Tremco employee David Hutchinson, brings guest speakers from the industry to the class weekly to discuss their areas of expertise and answer questions.

“It shows you what you’re capable of doing and what’s a possibility,” Moore said of Rising Stars.

Moore said the earning potential in the building trades industry is unlimited.

“The income you’re capable of generating within the industry that this class teaches, there’s no ceiling to it unless you put a ceiling on yourself,” he said.

NCCTI aims to help individuals, regardless of their circumstances, fulfill their goals and put them on a path to success.

“NCCTI sees its students and believes in its students. In our ability to fully see students, we are able to tailor instruction or address needs accordingly. We see Mr. Moore as the purpose-driven person that he has displayed himself to be upon starting the program,” said NCCTI Director Dr. Sylvia McCray. “We will continue to teach, expand and challenge him to meet his goal of obtaining a Building Trades Specialist diploma.”

The mindset of providing individual assistance comes through. Moore said staff members have gone above and beyond to help him sign up for the program and address any issues he has had.

“The staff has been there for me every step of the way,” he said.

According to NCCTI staff members, Moore has shown that he is serious about his studies and completing the program.

“Mr. Moore is an enthusiastic, polite and devoted individual who has a clear vision of what he wants to achieve,” said NCCTI Financial Coach Akeen Downes. “He exhibits a positive attitude both inside and outside of the classroom. We are proud that he continues to be resilient and motivated while working towards his certification.”

In addition to becoming a business owner, Moore has a plan to offer more affordable housing in Newark, where he was born and raised. With his skills, he would be able to convert dilapidated and abandoned houses owned by the city into usable homes, which he says would be a win for families in need of affordable housing and for the city, which would be able to collect taxes on the properties.

Moore plans to maintain a relationship with NCCTI after graduation and use it as a source for workers.

“When I do make it, I know NCCTI’s a place that I can pull prospective and future employees from because I know what Mr. Yusto offers to a student who’s enrolled in the program,” he said.

Moore is optimistic about the future. He looks forward to completing the Building Trades Specialist program and putting his plans into practice.

“Now I can move forward in life and become the success that I was always meant to be,” he said.

NCCTI is an accredited post-secondary career and technical institution that is currently enrolling for the following programs: Automotive Technician, Building Trades Specialist, Medical Assistant Clinical, Patient Care Technician and Culinary Arts Specialist. NCCTI also operates a comprehensive Financial Opportunity Center and Bridges to Career Opportunities Program sponsored by the local and national Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) offices. For more information, call 973-824-6484, log onto or visit 274 South Orange Ave., Newark.

Rising Stars Program Opens Doors for 91��Ƭ Career & Technical Institute Building Trades Students

Michelle Lang — Fri, 13 May 2022 14:25:54 +0000

91��Ƭ Career & Technical Institute (NCCTI) and Tremco have partnered to introduce the Rising Stars program to students in the NCCTI Building Trades Specialist program. Rising Stars aims to introduce students to a variety of aspects of the construction industry and connect them to job opportunities.

David Hutchinson came up with the concept for Rising Stars. He works for Tremco in Deep Energy Retrofit Development, which means his division works to retrofit existing buildings by putting new panels on existing structures and upgrading HVAC systems while limiting tenant disruption. The ultimate goal is to reduce carbon and energy consumption and the focus is primarily on affordable housing in the Northeast. His work brought about the idea for Rising Stars.

“I wanted to do something as an outreach and be more engaged in the communities that we operate in,” Hutchinson said.

He pitched his idea to the president of Tremco in the summer of 2020 and received support. After many conversations internally and externally, Hutchinson was able to launch Rising Stars in March 2022 under the umbrella of Tremco.

NCCTI is one of three educational institutions to host the Rising Stars program for its inaugural cohort. The others are in Brooklyn, N.Y. and Boston, Mass.

“The program at its core is trying to expand the views and the opportunities that are present in the construction industry,” Hutchinson said. “We start with design and have an architect come in and really talk about what goes into sustainable green design or future design of projects and then also the career paths. So it always is an educational format but also almost kind of a career day at the same time.”

Guest speakers, who are volunteers Hutchinson has connected with during his career, visit once per week and share their experiences with students. In addition to Tremco, one of the larger groups involved is Turner Construction.

“We start very high level with design and we work all the way through to the trades where it concludes with trade day where we have people from the union hall and job opportunities presented,” Hutchinson said. “So for the participants that show the ability or have the want to, there is an opportunity to actually get employed by some of the speakers.”

That type of access is extremely valuable for students looking to launch their careers.

“We are proud to be a strategic partner with Tremco and this program is an excellent opportunity for our Building Trades students to meet industry experts across trades/professions while undertaking their studies at NCCTI,” said 91��Ƭ Chief Operating Officer Fred Hunter.

NCCTI Director Dr. Sylvia McCray said Rising Stars got students excited about building trades and the possible career paths available to them.

“The program not only helps students to understand the business but also develops that connection and building in their creativity of thinking outside the box, breaking that stereotype that it’s just one job or one type of job,” she said.

The Building Trades class had more females than males, challenging another stereotype.

“Allowing women to see themselves in nontraditional roles and that they’re able to build career paths and make a substantial amount of money taking care of themselves and their families, that was really important to me,” McCray said.

The students were engaged and had positive experiences.

“I was impressed with the program because it exposed us to new technologies and new things that are happening in the construction industry,” said Chinedu Arisa. “For me, it changed my perspective about construction.”

Nicole Wilson raved about the program, saying it was very informative, had a hands-on component and brought in “incredible” speakers. She said she learned a lot and the program inspired her to apply for a job at Tremco. She landed an interview and is now waiting for her start date.

“Rising Stars helped me to a better future,” she said.

NCCTI Building Trades Instructor Yusto Awich saw his students benefit from Rising Stars.

“The program is well structured and coordinated well,” he said. “The professionals who came were prepared and engaged the students well.”

McCray and Hutchinson plan to bring the Rising Stars program back to NCCTI in the fall. Hutchinson’s goal is to have two sessions per year, one in the fall and one in the spring. He has been asked to launch additional sites in other geographic locations, including Syracuse, N.Y., Orlando, Fl. and areas of Texas.

McCray is happy that NCCTI got to be one of the first institutions to expose students to the program.

“I’m really glad that we were able to show students that there’s more out there. And to whet that curiosity,” she said.

NCCTI is an accredited post-secondary career and technical institution that offers the following programs: Automotive Technician, Diesel Technician, Building Trades Specialist, Clinical Medical Assistant, Patient Care Technician, Community Healthcare Worker, Culinary Arts Specialist and Business & Computer Technologies. NCCTI also operates a comprehensive Financial Opportunity Center and Bridges to Career Opportunities Program sponsored by the local and national Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) offices. For more information, call 973-824-6484, log onto or visit 274 South Orange Ave., Newark.