NEWS

A concrete start to solid career

Certification program at charter school increases worksite opportunities

By EMMA BARTLETT
Posted 11/8/22

When senior Nicholas Aschettino, 17, graduates from the New England Laborer’s Cranston Public Schools Construction and Career Academy in June, he wants to work in highway construction. Down the …

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NEWS

A concrete start to solid career

Certification program at charter school increases worksite opportunities

Posted

When senior Nicholas Aschettino, 17, graduates from the New England Laborer’s Cranston Public Schools Construction and Career Academy in June, he wants to work in highway construction. Down the road in six or so years, he sees himself working in concrete quality control.

Aschettino is one of six seniors selected to participate in the school’s new concrete quality control program which is funded through the Rhode Island Department of Education’s (RIDE) Charter Support Initiative grant. The school received $8,333 from RIDE and covered the program’s remaining costs with the school budget. While students already learn about concrete in their classes, this course expands their abilities and what type of work they can do on a jobsite.

Assistant Principal of Academic Affairs Lindsey Tavares said the Construction and Career Academy had its eye on expanding the use of concrete in its construction pathway and partnered with UCONN's Connecticut Advanced Pavement (CAP) Lab for its concrete quality control program. For six weeks, Scott Zinke – researcher engineer at CAP Lab – visited the Construction and Career Academy to prepare students for this certification.

The course gets students ready to complete the ACI (American Concrete Institute) Concrete Field Testing Technician – Grade I certification test; this test certifies concrete technicians who have demonstrated the knowledge and ability to properly perform the basic field tests of freshly mixed concrete. This work results in fewer jobsite problems and costly delays.

The exam is a rigorous all day affair, beginning with a written test and followed by practical demonstrations of the tests. In this line of work, individuals must verify that concrete meets design specifications and identify concrete that is substandard. The seniors will take their exam on Nov. 15 and will receive results in the coming weeks.

Zinke said it’s great seeing a young group of students learn about concrete quality control. He said most people don’t know about concrete field testing until they are in the field and will take the certification course later in life. Zinke added that there’s a shortage of people in quality control of materials jobs.

The course consists of an in-classroom component followed by a hands-on component in the school’s construction bays. Throughout the two-hour instruction period, Zinke quizzes students’ knowledge. Last Tuesday – two weeks before their exam – Zinke had seniors fill cylindrical molds with wet concrete so they could determine the strength of the concrete. He tested them on the number of layers needed to fill the mold, and taught them to pay attention to air pockets and label the mold once it was finished.

This is Zinke’s first time working with high school students, and he said they have been enthusiastic throughout the process.

Tavares said the school hopes to run the program in the spring and open the opportunity to students at Cranston East and Cranston West. While there were six students in the program for trial purposes, Taveras sees this number expanding for the spring courses. Additionally, individuals do not need construction experiences in order to take the certification course.

Tavares said initially the school was going to select students for this program based on attendance and academic performance. However, she said there were several students who advocated for themselves. One individual, who was selected for the program, didn’t have the best track record with attendance, was selected and has thrived throughout the course.

While the school is currently using UCONN’s curriculum for this program, the school is looking for the university to create its own program that the Construction and Career Academy can purchase. In the next school year, the Construction and Career Academy hopes to do a program with asphalt and is looking for a local lab to go to and use or to bring in a mobile lab.

During the program’s last course, Zinke will run through a simulation of the exam with students as final preparation. This certification gets students in the door according to Tavares and there are many levels of certification after that that they can take part in.

concrete, charter

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