Employee’s Son
Makes the Grade
If only for a minute, Josh was able take a seat long enough for a snapshot. His job requires him to constantly monitor his company’s databases and to field questions from throughout the office.
Portions of this article are reprinted courtesy of The Union Leader.
Joshua Holmes, 20, son of Guilford Rail’s Chief Financial Officer Mike Holmes, was recently honored during a national jobs leadership conference in New Orleans. Holmes was named one of the outstanding students during the Jobs for the Future 1997 National Leadership Forum. He was presented his School-to-Career Achievement Award by New Hampshire Gov. Jeanne Shaheen, who was the conference’s keynote speaker.
“School-to-career initiatives are an important part of reforming education and developing the skills that our workforce needs in order to compete in an increasingly challenging global marketplace,” said Governor Shaheen in her opening address. “In New Hampshire, we’ve made school-to-career a priority, and I’m pleased to be able to share some of our success and learn about the successes of others.”
Josh got involved with the School-to-Career program during his junior year at Pinkerton Academy. He enrolled in a computer electronics vocational program offered by Salem High School. Working with familiarity in computer technology, Josh learned quickly the basics of computer repair.
While enrolled in the program, Josh, whose brother Ethan designs Guilford Rail’s web site, got to visit workplaces to hear working computer technicians explain how he could apply his new skills while earning a living.
Josh was invited to join in on a round table discussion of school-to-work programs with President Bill Clinton during the President’s tour of Lockheed Saunders in Nashua, N.H. “I had a chance to hear what he thought about this type of education,” said Josh. “When it came time for individual pictures, we got to talking about how I was stocking shelves before the program. He told me that he had the same kind of job when he was my age.”
Josh moved up from stocking soda bottles to stocking repair benches with tools and equipment at Brooks Automation in Chelmsford, Massachusetts. With his newly acquired training the then-high school senior began working after school for the robotics manufacturer as a computer repair technician.
A 1996 graduate of Pinkerton Academy, Josh is now a second-year Computer Information Systems major at New Hampshire Technical Institute and was recently promoted to MIS Assistant at Brooks Automation.
“Our system requires a lot of off-hours work,” said Amin Karimpour, IS Manager for Brooks Automation. “Whenever Josh is not is school he’s here. He’s very instrumental to our operations.”
“When I first enrolled in this program I didn’t realize the importance of an education,” he said. “I’m now on track to get my degree. Through this program I can see how my classwork translates to my job.”
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