Painters Union and Contractors Association Announce Hands-On Training Opportunities for Madison Park Students

IUPAT DC 35 and PFEANE/GEANE donated $10,000 at the grand opening of the Madison Park Vocational High School’s Cardinal Gift Shop. This new gift shop will provide the business and marketing students with an opportunity to receive hands-on training, including creating and maintaining a business plan, performing financial and accounting tasks as well as maintaining store operations. The union’s donation will go towards purchasing equipment for the store and providing training to the students running the shop.

“We’re proud to make this donation towards Madison Park Vocational’s Cardinal Gift Shop,” said Jeff Sullivan, Business Manager, IUPAT DC 35. “This donation will provide a pathway for students to gain hands-on training and prepare for a life-long career right out of high school.

We’ve been long-standing partners of the Madison Park Vocational School, and the goal of our partnership is to create a cycle of opportunity that leads to local economic development and builds sustainability in our communities.

We are looking forward to continuing and strengthening this partnership with the only VoTech school in the city.”

Thomas Gunning III of the Painters and Glaziers Employers Association of New England said, “This partnership with Madison Park will strengthen the opportunities for students in Boston. We’re proud to partner with the school and make this donation towards an effort that will focus on skill-building.”

“As the only vocational-technical high school in Boston, Madison Park offers students the opportunity to gain skills that will set them up for success,” said Kevin McCaskill, Executive Director of Madison Park Vocational High School. “We’re grateful to DC 35 for investing in our work to teach business planning, financial and accounting, and store management skills that will serve our students in the long term.”

“I’m excited to help launch our new gift shop,” said Irani Perez, Marketing Program Student at Madison Park. “I know that I will have a bright future when I leave Madison Park because I’m learning skills that will serve me after high school. There’s no other school in Boston where students get on-the-job training for high-paying, in-demand careers in Boston.”