Business leaders honored at MCVTS advisory committee dinner

Business leaders honored at MCVTS advisory committee dinner

More than 200 representatives of business, industry and academia mixed with staff and students of the Middlesex County Vocational and Technical Schools at the district’s annual Advisory Committee Appreciation Dinner.

The April 26 event, held on the MCVTS Piscataway Campus, was followed by meetings of the committees, which offer advice on curriculum, trends in business and industry, and the hiring needs of local companies.

Superintendent of Schools Dianne D. Veilleux voiced the district’s thanks to all the committee members who volunteer their time to support the mission of the district to prepare students for college and careers.

Sean McDonald, MCVTS director career and technical education, praised the “close collaboration, commitment and support” of the district’s partners from business, industry, labor and academia.

The district’s annual Business Partner of the Year Award was presented to the New Jersey Carpenters Apprentice and Training Fund, which has been collaborating with the district in a pre-apprenticeship program at its training centers in Kenilworth and Edison.

MCVTS Board of Education President Eugene Mullen presented the award to Ridgeley Hutchinson, executive director of the fund.

Pointing out that seven MCVTS graduates have been accepted into the carpenters’ apprentice program since the program was initiated three years ago, Hutchinson said it is achieving its goal of “producing good tradesmen and stable and constructive contributors to our community.”

Also attending the dinner were Middlesex County Freeholder Director Ronald G. Rios, Freeholder Kenneth Armwood, MCVTS Board of Education member Keith Jones, School Business Administrator Karl Knehr and Assistant Superintendent of Schools Jeffrey Bicsko.

The evening began with appetizers served by Piscataway Campus culinary arts students, who also assisted in serving the dinner, which included prime rib, stuffed chicken breast, herb-roasted salmon, fingerling potatoes and green beans almandine. Piscataway Campus baking students prepared and served assorted pastries and other desserts.

Entertainment was provided by four seniors from the Middlesex County Academy for Allied Health and Biomedical Sciences in Woodbridge, Amanda Rivera and Briana Sanchez on guitar, Irene Chu playing electric piano, and vocalist Natalia Sokolnicki. Woodbridge Academy junior Nawal Panjwani sang the national anthem.

Students who won awards during the annual MCVTS Tech Expo in February presented their projects in the lobby before the dinner.