Five Burleson residents were awarded the inaugural Burleson Works scholarship Thursday, May 10.
The scholarship will allow awardees to receive financial assistance for training at local technical schools, after which they will have the opportunity to be placed directly into a position with a local Burleson company, a news release explained.
“I’ve considered it one of the biggest blessings in my life to be able to live and work in the same community,” Dan McClendon, Burleson mayor pro tem and president of the Burleson Economic Development Corporation, said in the release. “Especially a community like Burleson that has historically been a workforce support community to cities outside of our borders. And why should that be? Why should we not work to building an industry in our own community?”
The City of Burleson, the Burleson EDC, the Burleson Opportunity Fund, and the Burleson Works partners celebrated the new scholarships and the awardees by hosting a “signing day” with scholarship recipients and representatives from the companies where they will be employed.
“We work very hard to bring quality industries to Burleson,” said Alex Philips, City of Burleson economic development manager. “These industries need a highly-skilled workforce to fill their jobs and this one-of-a-kind program allows us to work together as a community to cultivate our home-grown talent.”
Internationally-recognized industrial manufacturer Hayes & Stolz will be adding two Burleson Works scholarship recipients to their team.
One addition is Joel Rankin, a 1992 graduate, who will be attending Hill College to obtain an associate’s in welding. Rankin is a self-taught welder, but he will now have the opportunity to complete his certification and work for a company his hometown.
“I started pursuing the path to become a welder about a year ago. The first time I saw Burleson Works scholarship I kind of passed it by but then decided to try for it,” Rankin said in the release. “Hayes and Stolz was on my list of companies I wanted to work for so this is the perfect fit for me. I’m very appreciative of the opportunity.”
Dylan Cobb, a 2015 graduate of Centennial High School, will be attending classes at Tarrant County College in pursuit of working for Hayes & Stolz as an engineering drafter. Cobb said in the release he has always been interested in architecture and is taking this opportunity to learn drafting design.
Worldwide provider of alternative/specialty parts to repair/accessorize vehicles LKQ Corp. is also accepting a scholarship recipient — Parker Maynard, a 2018 Burleson Crossroads graduate, will be training at Hill College to join LKQ as an automotive dismantler.
Wagner-Smith Equipment Co. designs, builds, sells, rents and services overhead and underground line-stringing equipment and tools for the electrical line industry across the nation, the release explained. Kolton Makarwich, who is set to graduate from Centennial High School later this month, will join their team as a mechanic after completing training classes at Hill College.
“I don’t think there is a better step to take than to work at a company right out of high school where I will gain experience to help reach my goals,” Makarwich said in the release, explaining his desire to work as a mechanic and to someday be a business owner.
Will Clark, a 2016 Centennial High School graduate, will be receiving on-the-job training as an engineering intern with F-WAVE, a global residential roofing company, the release said.
“F-WAVE seemed like a perfect place for me to experience the different facets of an engineering career,” Clark said