Construction Ready

Many thanks to Carroll Daniel for their contribution to Construction Ready through the Peach Education Tax Credit program.

Carroll Daniel and other companies throughout Georgia are helping train the next generation of skilled trades professionals through this initiative, which directs contributions to construction education programs such as ours and gives donors a dollar-for-dollar tax credit on their state income tax returns.

Individual donors can participate too! Go to https://constructionready.org/taxcredit to learn more and get involved.

THURSDAY THRIVERS: Meet David Copeland, a Construction Ready Pre-Apprenticeship graduate whose work ethic and commitment to excellence have quickly propelled him into a leadership role as an HVAC specialist.

Following careers in the military and trucking industry, David enrolled in our Pre-Apprenticeship program in Opelika, Alabama, in partnership with Goodwill Industries of the Southern Rivers.

After graduating, he joined The Michaels Organization, which manages The Villages at Fort Benning, a development of nearly 4,000 on-post family housing units at Fort Benning, Georgia.

Starting in an entry-level maintenance position, David embraced every opportunity to develop and demonstrate his skills, including attending Chattahoochee Valley Community College to earn an HVAC certificate. In just one year, his hard work paid off with a promotion to HVAC Lead Technician.

Construction Ready training “gave me more confidence to step out into a competitive environment,” David says. “It was a big step from my previous career. It has helped me gain tons of confidence and motivated me to be who I am now.”

David's journey reflects exactly what Construction Ready strives to accomplish: Equipping individuals with the skills, confidence, and industry-recognized credentials needed to launch meaningful careers in construction and related industries.

“Construction Ready gave me the foundation,” David adds. “My job gave me the opportunity. My work ethic got me promoted. I’m just getting started.”

“The crane, the skid steer, I want to be able to move all of that. If there’s opportunity for me to grow, why not take it?”

Why not, indeed? Sa’quan Sirmons, a member of our recently competed Perry Career Academy Group #7 Pre-Apprenticeship class, is eager to immerse himself in a construction career, and he’s equipped with the fundamental skills to get started.

Sa’quan and his 16 classmates were the subject of this report on WSB-TV. Watch to hear more from Sa’quan and others, and visit constructionready.org/get-trained to learn how you too can get trained, credentialed and ready to work.

Clayton County Public Schools

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