Brittany Hyder, Director of Operations (left), stands with Michelle Lewter, President and CEO of Connect for Success NC at the 2019 S.H.E.D. competition.

Teams plan for their projects during the 2019 S.H.E.D. competition.

Michelle Lewter, President and CEO of Connect for Success NC (Connect for Success), has a passion for filling the construction workforce pipeline. Her focus on addressing this challenge goes back several years. During her long career as an executive at a national construction association, contractors and suppliers often expressed their concerns about the existing and growing shortage of students who were interested in and prepared to enter the skilled trades. Educators described to Michelle their struggles to prepare students to thrive and succeed in good jobs after graduation from high school and community college.

“The purpose of Connect for Success is to transform lives, connecting graduates with career opportunities and companies with future skilled workforce solutions,” Michelle says. Connect for Success, based in Apex, North Carolina, provides a link between businesses and graduating seniors through hands-on, face-to-face connection and programs, and gives industry leaders an opportunity to get involved and influence youth career choices. She founded the organization in 2018 and welcomed its 100th member just a year later.

The organization runs on the power of connecting people. It enables relationships between its members, career and technical education (CTE) administrators, teachers and high school seniors. Members represent construction companies, general contractors, specialty contractors and suppliers, architecture and engineering firms, and mechanical businesses. They connect with students and increase their visibility as prospective employers through hands-on competitions and mentoring programs.

“We also host networking events for our member companies to connect with each other, including sporting clay competitions and a golf tournament,” says Brittany Hyder, Director of Operations, who has worked with Michelle for many years.

Connecting Businesses and Schools

Michelle’s deep connections to the construction industry were instrumental in bringing together schools and businesspeople to create a hands-on experience day for students in Wake County, North Carolina. She established the committee in 2017 that created Student Hands-on Experience Day, better known as S.H.E.D.

She credits Kevin Kimberley, Carpentry Instructor for the Wake County Public School System, for his vision in creating the program, and Manny Ortiz, Regional Vice President at Fire & Life Safety America, as well as Phil Vice, Senior Administrator for Technology and Trade/Industrial CTE Programs, Wake County Public School System. “Without those three, it wouldn’t have happened,” she says.

During the annual three-day S.H.E.D. competition, teams of high school students build a shed, following a plan created by drafting students. Industry professionals donate materials and general contractors and subcontractors provide mentoring during the event. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) representatives and local building inspectors evaluate the work for safety and code compliance. A judging committee scores and selects the winning projects. The completed sheds are auctioned off, with partial proceeds supporting future competitions and scholarships for graduating seniors.

Eight sheds were built during the first year of the competition in 2017 at Cary High School, with 10 the following year. In 2019, the expanded event—17 sheds, built by teams from Wake and Franklin counties—moved to the North Carolina State Fairgrounds in Raleigh. Plans are for the next competition to take place in 2021. (The 2020 competition was not held due to the pandemic.) “Michelle is a leader with an amazing ability to connect with people and bring schools and businesses together,” Phil says. “She knows the trades well and taps into her deep connections throughout the state. She’s been instrumental in the program’s growth and momentum.”

The result? “Before S.H.E.D., we struggled to attract students to our carpentry program,” Phil says. “Now the carpentry classes at 10 high schools are full. Industry professionals regularly visit classrooms to provide one-on-one instruction and many graduates go directly into the trades.” S.H.E.D. has also been the impetus for setting up pre-apprenticeship programs that feed into state-registered apprenticeships offered by DPR Construction and other major contractors in North Carolina.

“S.H.E.D. provides a model we can use for other trades like plumbing and HVAC,” Phil adds. “It has generated renewed interest among students—and the industry—in establishing and creating drafting, project management and masonry programs.”

Expanding a Winning Formula

Michelle is focused on expanding the S.H.E.D. program to more schools in additional counties across the state, and on establishing similar programs for other trades. She’s worked with Wake County and Harnett County schools and electrical contractors to create a new competition, Vocational and Occupational Learning Trades, or V.O.L.T.

Students in Cary High School’s pre-apprenticeship program for carpentry built 25 two-walled bays—which are open cubicles where electrical equipment is to be placed—from lumber donated by a local Lowe’s home improvement store. During the competition, teams will wire the bays for regular electrical outlets and lights. Originally scheduled for April 2020, the first V.O.L.T. event with teams and businesses from Wake and Harnett counties is planned for April 2021. The 25 bays will be ready for the competitors.

Connect for Success programs are attracting attention across the state. “Because of the success of the S.H.E.D. program, Michelle was invited by the North Carolina Department [of Public Instruction] to speak at a conference for CTE teachers in 2019,” Brittany says. Michelle also spoke about the program during the North Carolina Association for Career Technical Education (NCACTE) 2020 CTE Summer Conference for North Carolina, held via Zoom.

Signing Day

Yet another growing program is Signing Day, a celebration of graduating students who are accepting career opportunities with Connect for Success member companies. Signing Day events take place at hiring companies. Students sign a pledge to work for the company, with proud parents looking on, and receive a hardhat and a baseball cap with the company’s logo. The first event took place at Baker Roofing Company in Raleigh. Baker Roofing also donates all of the roofing materials for S.H.E.D.

“Signing Day is a great way to recognize these new employees and publicize the career options available in the trades. Our members represent so many companies. We can help graduates connect and find jobs. We have a solution for both,” Michelle says. She is working to expand the popular program.

More Connections

Another event hosted by Connect for Success is Core Connections, a speed networking opportunity that connects teachers with contractors and subcontractors. CTE instructors and administrators learn more about the work that contractors and subcontractors do and the technical and soft skills they are looking for in new hires. In turn, member companies eager to get in front of prospective future employees find opportunities to go into schools and interact with students in the classroom. “Because of these opportunities, some schools have modified their curriculum to better serve students and employer needs,” Michelle says.

Michelle continues to reach out to industries. She’s talking to members and to Wake Tech, North Carolina’s largest community college, about creating a concrete curriculum and expanded pipefitting and sheet metal programs. Another (rescheduled) event is Legislative Day, an opportunity for teachers, students, parents and industry representatives to talk to their state representatives about the importance of CTE programs.

“As we continue to grow and expand, our goal is to reach all high schools and community colleges in North Carolina,” Michelle says. While attending a conference two years ago, people from Virginia and Georgia approached her, asking when she would bring her programs to their states. “It will take me the rest of my life to saturate North Carolina!” she laughs.

“What we’re doing is important,” she says. “We receive tremendous support from both industry and education partners. We love what we do and who we do it for!”