Wayne J. Griffin Electric, Inc. recently held a breakfast graduation celebration for 12 of its employees, who finished their final classes and completed the requirements in December for their Associate of Applied Science in Engineering Technology degree from Wentworth Institute of Technology.
The electrical subcontractor presented diplomas and gifted Wentworth Alumni jackets to the employees, who are the first graduating class of the Griffin & Wentworth Associate degree program.
While in-person participation was limited in the best interest of everyone’s health and safety, family and friends were able to watch the event via a live video stream and share the special moment with the graduates, who have all been very successful in the classroom throughout the program.
Griffin’s employees were regulars on the Wentworth Dean’s List each semester, even when the COVID-19 pandemic made for some challenging circumstances during their last academic year. In fact, 75% of the employees graduated with Latin honors (3.5 GPA or better), while half of the class also attained Summa Cum Laude distinction by finishing the program with a 3.90 GPA or better.
Griffin Electric partnered with Wentworth in 2018 to offer employees an opportunity to further their education through this degree program, which was designed to incorporate technical skills and hands-on, practical education for future leaders within the electrical industry. The partnership allows accepted graduates of Griffin’s free, in-house Apprenticeship Training Program who have achieved their license to leverage their 600-hours of classroom instruction and 8,000-hours of on-the-job field experience to earn nearly half of the required credits towards the degree.
To ensure that employees accepted into the Wentworth program can participate without financial hardship, Griffin Electric also covers up to 70% of tuition costs.
With a second Griffin cohort set to graduate from the Associate’s degree program later this year, as well as plans for an upcoming Informational Night geared towards prospective students in the works, the company says it looks forward to celebrating many future Griffin/Wentworth graduating classes.