FREDONIA, N.Y. (WKBW) — On Tuesday, 18 high school seniors enrolled at Erie 2 Chautauqua-Cattaraugus BOCES assembled grills as part of their final project.
The grills were donated by Jamestown Advanced Products, which is offering internships to the students.
For 17-year-old Gowanda High School senior, Ashley St. George, welding is her future.
"I love welding. I love building things with my own hands. It's the light of my day," said St. George who is one of two girls in the welding class.
St. George says she does not mind being in a male-dominated field as she moves on in her learning to become an underwater welder.
"I definitely have gotten a few side comments, at the beginning, but other than that, it's been super fun. I love it. I may not be as strong as the other guys, but I definitely can get my way through it," said St. George.
The final project for the students was donated by the Chautauqua County company to try and recruit students to join their internship program.
"This is the best way to get in front of students to let them know we are here. We're hiring, but also the importance of the trades. They made a great decision to go with BOCES instead of getting a bunch of college debt that they may not need for a job they may not like," said Director of Jamestown Advanced Products Josh Lodestro.
Lodestro says this is the second time the company is offering internships to the BOCES students.
