KEWANEE WEATHER

Black Hawk College announces highway construction grads


By The Kewanee Voice    November 22, 2024
Fall 2024 graduates of the BHC Highway Construction Careers Training Program. [Submitted photo]

Black Hawk College is congratulating the Fall 2024 graduates of the Highway Construction Careers Training Program (HCCTP) at Black Hawk College.

Pictured from left to right are:

● Front row – Devon MacCall of Viola, Kokou Agbatozonhoun of Carbon Cliff, Jazmine Brooks of Rock Island, Heather Sim of Morrison, Gema Velez of Moline and Hannah Clark of Moline
● Back row – Ty Boardman of Kewanee, Ramon Pickens of Milan, Daniel Cobos of East Moline, Arman Farajpanahi of Galesburg, Dillon Barnes of Moline and Michael Findley of Davenport, IA

Cobos and Sim had perfect attendance for the 13-week class.

The Illinois Department of Transportation created the 450-hour program to prepare people to work in construction and to increase the number of minorities, women and disadvantaged persons working on IDOT projects.

There is no cost to participants who are selected for the program. Students in the Spring 2025 class will receive a stipend of $15 per hour.

The Black Hawk College program has among the highest placement rates of the 14 HCCTP programs in Illinois. Of the last 49 BHC graduates, 78 percent have become apprentices. Michael Findley joined the Painters Local #1178 after completing his 11th week of training.

The next HCCTP begins Monday, Feb. 24 with orientation sessions Dec. 11, Jan. 7, Jan. 10, Jan. 15 and Jan. 21.

For more information, call 309-796-5729 or visit www.bhc.edu/hcctp.