What is Ulster BOCES?
Bradley Krajicek

Ulster BOCES means different things to different people. To Bradley Krajicek, a former Ulster Adult Career Education Center student, Ulster BOCES means having the opportunity to learn valuable hands-on skills in the HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning) program, which directly contributed to his being hired as an oil heat technician for Pay-Less Oil in Hyde Park.

The path that led Bradley to Ulster BOCES began when he was a senior at New Paltz High School and taking the Ulster BOCES Welding program. “I was always interested in the technical trades,” says Bradley, who was diagnosed with a learning disability. However, he didn’t let that keep him from excelling and learning new industry skills.

While attending the Career & Technical Center in Port Ewen, Bradley’s interest was so sparked by what was going on in the HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning) classroom that a few months after graduating from high school, he returned to Ulster BOCES as an adult to enroll in the HVAC program. His disability qualified him to receive tuition funding through New York State’s Office of Vocational and Educational Services for Individuals with Disabilities (VESID).

While attending the HVAC evening classes, Bradley received hands-on training in a lab-setting classroom, equipped with a ventilation system, furnaces, and air conditioning units for students to practice on. Bradley appreciated the assistance and training he received from Ulster BOCES and felt it greatly prepared him for the workplace. “When you can directly apply what you learn, like we did in the classroom, it really makes it much easier to understand.”

Instructors Al Orton, Al Bruno, and Gary Goodstall also brought their professional trade expertise into the classroom giving students top-notch training in the HVAC field. “All of my instructors were very experienced. I learned a lot from them,” says Bradley. “The combination of book work and hands-on work with the equipment was a nice mix.”

While learning his new skills at the Ulster Adult Career Education Center, Bradley also participated in the new Projects with Industry (PWI) program, which is offered in partnership with VESID and assists students with disabilities with transitioning into the workforce. Through PWI, he obtained an internship at Kingston Hospital, where he shadowed their HVAC technicians and gained valuable knowledge of commercial equipment, as well as “the basic upkeep of the cooling system of the commercial unit,” says Bradley.

Bradley also received valuable assistance from Mary Grace Renella, Ulster BOCES guidance counselor and VESID liaison, who assisted him along his career training path at the Ulster Adult Career Education Center. Some of the services she was able to offer Bradley included developing an individualized career plan, offering various workshops on employee readiness and personal assessments, setting up an internship experience, and providing educational and career counseling services.

As part of his PWI program and commitment, Bradley attended many workshops, including, “Guide to Career Planning,” “Communication Skills,” “Resume Writing,” “Dressing for the Job,” and “Interviewing Skills.”

“As a student, Bradley had excellent attendance and was very self-motivated. He kept in touch with me throughout his program and did not hesitate to ask for help,” says Renella.

“I really liked her workshops,” recalls Bradley. “She helped me out quite a lot.”

Bradley did so well, that in addition to earning his air conditioning and oil heat certificates, he also received his HVAC industry certification as a “Technician Type Universal.” Then, upon completion of his internship and extensive job development through the Ulster Adult Career Education Center, Bradley secured a position with Pay-Less Oil in Hyde Park. At Pay-Less Oil, Bradley has been employed as an oil heat technician in training since August 2006 and is receiving additional on-the-job skills from his mentor and trainer, owner Yancy McArthur.

In an ongoing effort to further his skill level, Bradley also enrolled at Dutchess BOCES in Oil Heating Systems and Troubleshooting in September 2006.

“Through Ulster BOCES, I learned a lot about theory and was able to receive some hands-on experience. The internship also helped to familiarize me with the HVAC basics, so when I was hired and received on-the-job training, it definitely made sense to me. The hands-on aspect is what made the connection.”

Bradley believes that from an employer’s point-of-view, having attending the HVAC program is a definite step-up in the business world. “I believe that’s one of the main reasons why I was hired.”

As for his future goals, he is content to be working and learning more about his trade at Pay-Less Oil and looks forward to the day he can go out on calls on his own for the company. “I definitely want to fully understand everything about oil heat. I enjoy my work and I enjoyed learning about it at Ulster BOCES. By taking the HVAC program there, it gave me a lot of training to help me get into my trade of choice.”