The Ashtabula County Business Exchange (AcBE) is recognizing the efforts of an adult welding student at the Ashtabula County Technical & Career Campus (A-Tech) with a $1,000 scholarship. MacKenzie Kister, Kingsville earned the scholarship after her application was selected by the scholarship committee.
Kister will finish the program in the Spring. “I have been enjoying the classes and labs! This generous scholarship from the Ashtabula County Business Exchange is really appreciated and I think it's awesome for young women to see a greater representation of women in male dominated industries. I currently have hopes to gain my TIG Certificate and pursue a career in welding.”
A recent study by the Alpaugh Family Economics Center shows that adults who earn a Welding Certificate through a career and technical program like A-Tech’s have a return on their investment of 159% after five years. That number jumps to 579.3% after ten years.
“There is tremendous value when you invest in yourself,” said A-Tech Adult Workforce Director Ken Porter. “Students can gain skills doing something they are passionate about, and in many cases, financial aid is available to help students achieve their goals.”
This scholarship is in memory of Robert “Banker Bob” Hegfield, a founding member and leader in the Ashtabula County Business Exchange. Hegfield enjoyed helping small business people start and grow businesses in our county.
The mission of the AcBE is to promote the sharing of information between businesses, while also supporting secondary business education and encouraging and sustaining entrepreneurship. AcBE works to promote relationships between businesses to generate word-of-mouth advertising and exchanges which offer the opportunity to do business with others. For more information, visit www.ashtabulabusiness.com.