Southeast Michigan Contractors Issue 3 2023 25 SEMCA FALL 2023 APPLICATION OPEN Eric Davidson, Patrice Rink and family accept an honorary degree for RJ Rink and the legacy he has at SEMCA. Fall 2023 Application Open The Southeast Michigan Construction Academy application is open for the fall 2023 semester. The school is providing training in electrical, carpentry, welding and heavy construction. Formal training programs are a great way to upskill your workforce—what’s better, all of SEMCA’s classes are at night, so you don’t lose workers during business hours. ABC members receive a discount on tuition and a 15% discount on tuition for seven or more employees enrolled. Additionally, ABC members looking to hire apprentices are encouraged to reach out to Kaylee (kcohen@ abcsemi.org), SEMCA’s education services coordinator to get on the jobs list. This list is a compilation of SEMCA students’ resumes from all trades seeking employment. It is emailed out twice a month to employers in an effort to fill the jobs available in the construction industry. Program information, training dates and curriculum can be found on semcaschool.org. The application for the fall semester will close on August 18. SEMCA students march down left-field at Jimmy John’s field to officially graduate. Tashas Tribble accepts her diploma in heavy construction from SEMCA chair Tad Martin. thought, but his grit and passion carried him through his training, and he can’t wait to get his certificate. “In this program I’ve accomplished and learned so much from my instructors—I’m ready to take this knowledge and become a journeyman electrician,” Bielski said. “After four years of hard work, I can finally give back to my community by helping maintain and grow the infrastructure.” This year’s graduation ceremony gave everyone 108 reasons to celebrate. One for each graduate and one for a family who turned tragedy into a legacy that will be passed on. Back in the fall of 2019 an eager RJ Rink enrolled in the electrical apprenticeship at SEMCA and within a month, he had a job working under a master electrician. Unfortunately, RJ passed unexpectedly two months into his first semester at SEMCA. RJ’s uncle, Eric, decided they would use RJ’s unused tuition and turn it into a scholarship to help other SEMCA students fulfill their dream. The scholarship was called The Promise Scholarship in Memory of RJ Rink. Since then, Eric and Amy Davidson, and the Rink family have given out $68,000 in scholarships that have helped 57 SEMCA students. This year would have been the year RJ graduated, and to honor the impact his family has made, they were presented with RJ’s honorary certificate of completion. The SEMCA class of 2023 now joins their peers as craft professionals ready to continue building America. Congratulations to all!
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