Two Students Commit to Carter Machinery During Career Signing Day
Richmond, Virginia – Carter Machinery signed two students from Bridging Communities Regional Career & Technical Center on Wednesday as part of Career Signing Day. The two students, Jesse Payne, from King William County, and Nick Sorensen from New Kent, will both start their careers with Carter in July.
Jesse, who started working on machines with his dad when he was 7 years old says he’s excited to work with Carter, stating that his internship with the company was an amazing experience. “I enjoyed how I was treated by the other technicians, and decided it was a company I wanted to work for full-time.” He will start work after competing in the national SkillsUSA competition in Louisville, Kentucky in June.
Nick Sorensen, who also interned with Carter, was the other student who decided to commit his career path to the Carter team. Nick says he’s always enjoyed working with his hands and it gives him a sense of accomplishment. “Working on the machines at Carter is a dream come true,” said Nick. “I couldn’t imagine working for any other company.” He noted that his favorite type of machine to work on is a 936K Wheel Loader, but looks forward to working on all the machines.
In addition to signing Nick and Jesse, Carter also took part in the Career Fair at Bridging Communities to talk with other students in the junior Diesel Technology class. The hope is that Carter can identify potential candidates who may also have a career interest in the trades industry, as finding technicians is a particularly difficult industry-wide challenge. The Training & Human Resources teams at Carter are always leveraging relationships through local Virginia vocational-technical schools, like Bridging Communities, to identify potential candidates who are interested in this important line of work.
Jesse and Nick will be a part of Carter’s 15-month Construction Equipment Technician Apprenticeship Program, which was developed at Carter to help reverse the technician-shortage trend. The program, approved by Virginia’s Department of Labor, provides candidates with a nationally recognized accreditation after successful completion. Equally exciting is the fact that Carter Machinery is one of the only companies offering this program.