Philadelphia Trains Them Young

Certified vending technicians are hard to come by, but not in Philadelphia, Pa., where one of the only training programs is still going strong after 19 years. And it’s the only one students can attend in high school.

“Not everyone is cut out for college,” said vending operator and advisory board member for 15 years, Bud

Burke, vice-president/general manager, Mackenzie Coffee & Vending Services, LLC, Allentown, Pa. “The career and technical education program (at Edison Fareira high school) means they (students) can come out of school with a high school diploma and still be able to make a living without working at McDonald’s.”

Burke also believes the fact that 79 percent of the students are Latino is positive for an industry which could use some more diversity.

An industry supported advisory board is a program requirement to keep the curriculum up to date. However, the Edison Fareira advisory board allows students to meet real operators and get a foot in the industry’s door.

Anthony (Tony) Ortiz, industry support manager for bottling, MEI, and a graduate of the Edison Fareira high school program, got his first job due to attending the advisory committee as a student. “As a result of that meeting — several individuals got to know me during the program,” said Ortiz. When he graduated, he was offered a job at a local distributor. After 18 years in the industry, Ortiz is a member of the advisory board and active in the school.

“I go to speak to the classes. I do training on our units, but also I try to be a mentor for students,” said Ortiz.

Being a product of the same environment the students are dealing with daily, Ortiz really gets the students to respond when they see what the vending industry can offer them.

Attending night school, Ortiz feels very fortunate for his career in vending. “I worked my way through the industry by being a sponge — learning and absorbing what the industry had to offer — in a positive way,” said Ortiz,

“It’s all been as a result of the Edison program.”

PROGRAM SECOND TO NONE

School administrators see the involvement of former students and continued industry support, through donated equipment and time, as an indicator of the program’s value. David Lugo, assistant principal of Edison Fareira, said the vending maintenance career and technical program is one of his prides. “It’s my second year as principal,” said Lugo, “and many graduates who go out come back to be representatives on the advisory committee.”

Lugo added that Jim Clark, the Edison Fariera vending technician program’s instructor, really deserves acknowledgements. “He’s made this program second to none,” said Lugo.

AN UNLIKELY INSTRUCTOR

Clark started out as a route man and worked in the industry until a friend pointed out the ad for the Edison Fariera position in the newspaper. “The last thing I thought I’d be was a high school teacher,” said Clark. That was in 1989.

Clark knows the vending industry needs technicians, which makes the program a win-win situation. Students have skills and experience right out of high school and vending operators get technicians with a NAMA level 1 certification.

“They (students) graduate the program with entry level skills – they can earn money from day one as a shop mechanic,” said Clark. “Probably within a year, they can go from shop to a street mechanic.” In the traditional method of on-the-job training, it takes an average of two years of working in the shop before a technician can go out on his or her own.

“We’re approaching 50 graduates still out working in the industry,” said Clark. Some former students started in vending, but moved into gaming, employing the same technical skills.