News Photo by Jordan Spence Gavin Kelly, Jacob Riggs and Don Burrone test concrete Tuesday at Alpena Community College. Kelly is testing the amount of air in concrete, Riggs is testing the slump of the concrete and Burrone was making a concrete cylinder.

ALPENA — Even though Don Burrone is one of the older students in the concrete tech program at Alpena Community College, he doesn’t feel out of place.

For a few years he worked at the local TV station, then he moved into graphic design. But, at some point he wasn’t fulfilled with his job.

“Being from here I knew about this program,” Burrone said. “I thought how much cooler it would be to not just look at a bridge but say ‘I helped build this bridge.'”

He spent two years in the program and will graduate in May with his concrete tech certificate and an applied science associate degree. Alongside Burrone at graduation will be Jacob Riggs of Harrisville and Gavin Kelly of Oscoda.

All three have jobs lined up after graduation. Burrone will move to Colorado and work as a concrete technician for a ready mix firm. Riggs will move to Wisconsin and become a plant manager. Kelly will work as an engineer technician in Livonia.

Kelly and Riggs both heard about the program in high school and weren’t quite sure what they wanted to do in college. They decided to take the next step and start the concrete tech program since they each had a few friends do the same.

Kelly said there’s a purpose to everything they’ve learned in class.

“Everything the first year came together,” he said. “During my internship I worked on a couple bridges.”

He said the students received all the resources they needed to be successful.

During his internship the company sent him to Ferris State University to work on another certification, which the company paid for.

“It’s a whole other field of testing engineering firms do: nuclear gauge. It uses gamma ray and waves to measure the density of the soil. It helped me negotiate a higher wage,” Kelly said.

The classes and jobs are what Burrone calls material science.

“You’re learning about soils, what kind of weight concrete can hold; It’s not just the pavement you see outside,” Burrone said. “You learn everything around it, even the weather affecting it.”

Kelly said he’s shocked more people aren’t in the program since he’s only19 and about to start his career.

Riggs said the cost of the program has been a personal perk.

“For the price you pay (in tuition) you could make back in a year or two on the job,” Riggs said.

The classes prepared them for every aspect of the industry, Burrone said.

“It’s not a degree just with one path you can go down,” he said. “You can take it anywhere in the construction industry. Maybe you like controlling your own lab; maybe you like to get dirty.”

He said many companies will pay for workers to continue their education, either with more certifications or another degree. Often, many people will continue their education to become a civil engineer, Burrone added.

“I have a four-year-old daughter, so benefits are huge,” Burrone said. “This two year degree allows my fiancee to stay at home with her. It’s a career you can retire from.”

Instructor Tim Onstwedder said 20 people will graduate from the program this year and they have a capacity for 36.

On a board in one of the classrooms there were 150 job postings available to students.

Onstwedder said many times it’s alumni who look for workers to fill positions.

“(Teachers) hear that from companies time and time again that they can put our students on the job site and they know what they’re doing,” Onstwedder said.

Jordan Spence can be reached via email at jspence@thealpenanews.com or by phone at 358-5687.