The South Mountain Community College Construction Trades Institute was recently awarded $50,000 from VanTrust Real Estate in support of the CTI’s effort to expand the college’s successfully growing programs.
Since the CTI's inception, the programs and classes offered in Carpentry, Plumbing and Electrical training have seen increased growth every year. This semester, the CTI added a new workshop Intro to Masonry and continues to seek new areas of expansion.
The $50,000 will go to continue that expansion and directly support students in the CTI program, including:
- General and program supplies, including materials to sustain the hands-on learning for the students.
- Student Emergency Fund: This fund will kickstart a new account that is solely focused on students in the college’s Construction Trades Programs. This fund aims to remove barriers to academic success by providing timely financial assistance for necessary materials for students who are enrolled in one of the CTI programs.
- Scholarship Fund: These funds aim to help students in the college’s trade programs who may need financial assistance with tuition, books or supplies. This will help provide full or partial scholarships up to $2,000.00 for students who qualify.
“We were thrilled that this money is going directly to help students,” said Joel Wage, Vice President, Development Services for VanTrust, who delivered the check last week to SMCC President Veronica Hipolito, along with members CTI Administrators Dr. Travis May and Chantel Freed, and LaSetta Hogan, Deputy Economic Development Director from the City of Phoenix.
VanTrust Real Estate was founded in 2010 as a full-service real estate development company with a regional emphasis and a national reach. The company provides a full spectrum of real estate services to clients and capital partners, including acquisition, disposition, development, development services, and corporate services. VanTrust’s goal is to deliver developments that become part of the community’s fabric and strengthen it.
The South Mountain Community College (SMCC) Construction Trades Institute’s purpose is to provide vocational training in the carpentry, electrical and plumbing trades. In addition to receiving practical training, students will receive OSHA 30 and also earn college credits, positioning them for both immediate employment and future educational opportunities.