Eighteen Hampton Bays, Westhampton Beach and Southampton junior and senior students, who will be attending EBOCES Career and Tech Ed Programs during the 2019-20 school year, were presented with $5,565 in scholarships from the Southampton Business Alliance on June 24 at Hampton Bays High School.

The approximate $250-$300 per student scholarships will help defray the out-of-pocket cost of tools and other gear the students are required to supply for their future studies in the “building trades,” specifically carpentry, HVAC, plumbing and heating, and electrical.  

The Southampton Business Alliance is providing the scholarships with a goal to help build a pipeline of skilled workers on the East End of Long Island. 

“The Southampton Business Alliance exists to protect the interests of the business community in the Town of Southampton. Our businesses can’t thrive without adequate workforce,” said Sheryl Heather, executive director of the Southampton Business Alliance. “Much is said about the workforce crisis due to the high cost of local housing, but we need to recognize that while there are many jobs available here in the housing and construction industry, there are very few local students learning those trades. We wish to invest in the students who are interested in learning these high-paying jobs.”

Hampton Bays School District Superintendent Lars Clemensen, who assisted in the facilitation of the scholarships, said he is grateful to the Southampton Business Alliance for investing in students. 

“Teaching students to identify what they love, what they are good at and how to use that to achieve their potential is our primary mission as educators,” he said. “We achieve that mission with even greater success by leveraging partnerships in the community that empower our students to succeed. We rely on Eastern Suffolk BOCES for their expertise in technical education and we depend on organizations like the Southampton Business Alliance to ensure every student can take advantage of every opportunity available to them.”

Dr. Julie Davis Lutz, chief operating officer of Eastern Suffolk BOCES, is equally pleased with the opportunity that the Southampton Business Alliance is providing to students. “We are proud to be partnering with the Southampton Business Alliance and the South Fork school districts in providing access to students in high school interested in studying trades,” she said. “We applaud the acknowledgement of the business community of the importance of career training in the trades for our high school students.”