CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — A $25,000 donation from Gulf Coast Growth Ventures is helping middle schoolers in the Coastal Bend get hands-on experience with skilled trades this summer.
Gulf Coast Growth Ventures presented the check to the Craft Training Center of the Coastal Bend to support summer camps for 6th, 7th, and 8th graders. Students get hands-on experience with welding, pipe fitting, and crane rigging.
Ed Caputo, president and site manager of Gulf Coast Growth Ventures, said the investment is personal.
"Both of my children are both in STEM and the arts, and I see the impact that it has on them firsthand. These programs here are one of many that continue to develop our youth to make sure that they're ready for the jobs of the future."
Caputo said Gulf Coast Growth Ventures has given approximately $1 million to STEM and education over the last year, and about $1.5 million to areas in need in that same period.
Dr. Wayne Kelly, president of the Craft Training Center of the Coastal Bend, said the program is designed to help students make informed decisions about their futures before they reach high school.
"Even in the Texas school system they're required by 8th grade to make a pathway type decision of where they wanna go. So we're starting as young as we can — could probably even go younger, but this is a great place to start. So when they do have to make that decision they've got a better idea of which way to go."
In addition to welding and pipe fitting, students rotate through stations covering crane rigging, fall safety, computer-aided drafting, and electrical and instrumentation work. Classes run in groups of no more than 10 students per instructor, with 25 to 40 students typically enrolled each session.
Seventh grader Jovany Hernandez said he already knows what he wants to do.
"I would wanna do welding. That's a fun and it's not pretty easy, but like once you get used to it, it starts to get easy as you go."
Kelly said the trades offer high-paying jobs right here in South Texas, and that the opportunity can be life-changing — particularly for those who may not have a traditional educational background.
"It really is a life changing thing for the people who come here and take these courses and get a career because they can make a lot of money. The pay is very, very good."
The Craft Training Center of the Coastal Bend offers tours for anyone interested in learning more about their programs. More information is available at CTCCB.org
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