(CEDAR HILL, TEXAS) Twelve Cedar Hill High School Welding Seniors received two Forklift Operator certifications last Friday in Dallas.
“This is an excellent opportunity for our scholars,” Cedar Hill Welding Teacher Donald Wilbert said. “Forklifts can be used in many capacities, including welding shops.”
The three day program at On Target Supplies & Logistics in Dallas is an annual tradition for the Cedar Hill Welding Program that had been interrupted the past two years due to COVID-19.
The partnership was set up by Cedar Hill ISD Executive Director of Innovation Tyesha Smith Lowe.
The first day and a half is in a classroom setting, followed by a half-day in pre-driving. The third day is all practical, culminating in operating the forklifts.
Seniors Zaire Adams, Ashton Corsey, Jason Enriquez, Francisco Gonzalez, Josiah Jackson, Jace Jessie, Caleb Lynn, Jordan Nicholas, Erick Razo-Cerda, Jaylen Townsend, Sabastian Varela and Deshawn Williams each earned their OSHA Certification and Class A, B and C Power Industrial Truck License. Every scholar, with the exception of Razo-Cerda, hadn’t operated a forklift prior to last Friday.
Most of the scholars currently have welding certificates.
On Target is a “people development and training company,” said On Target Vice President Cherri Darthard.
Darthard said the scholars, upon graduating from CHHS in May, will become active in the company’s database to receive phone calls about forklift operator positions, that often start at $17 per hour.
“This is another way to earn a good living,” Townsend said. “It’s hands-on, like driving a car, but also different.”
Varela said safety is paramount whenever driving the forklift, and it’s a skill that he’s glad to have learned.
“You have to honk when you’re about to do something,” Varela said. “This is a nice skill to have when I need to move heavy stuff.”
