Diesel tech students lend a hand on Niagara CTE Center campus

Submitted by Lisa Bielmeier

Public Relations Director

Orleans/Niagara BOCES

Orleans/Niagara BOCES Superintendent of Buildings and Grounds Dan Connolly recently partnered with the diesel technology program at the Niagara Career and Technical Education Center. Wes Blidy’s students were asked to help out with a project on campus.

“We had an underground splicer box,” Connolly said. “Every time it rained, the area would fill up with water. Our electrician kept fixing it, and finally we decided it needed to be dug up and redone. Mr. Blidy sent his students out with a digger and a Bobcat, and we built a trench. We also laid down drain tile. The students did a great job.”

Blidy said he was glad to let his students have the experience – and they even received work-based learning hours for the project.

“All the skills the students learned during machine operations are finally being put to use,” he said. “The students are applying Bobcat training to real-world work. It is nice to see how well they worked with one another and the maintenance staff on the project. They really enjoyed themselves.”