From a Love of LEGO to a Career at BEVCO Engineering
We have a Journey21 member who began his journey with us as a student in our Life Academy, a two-year college program designed to prepare young adults for greater independence, employment, and success in their communities. One of his greatest passions has always been working with LEGOS. He absolutely loves building LEGO models and creating intricate formations.
His passion became an opportunity to give back to others. So generous was he with his collection that he donated eight large bins of LEGO pieces to Journey21 for all of our students and participants to enjoy. His generosity has inspired several successful LEGO outings and classes, giving other students the opportunity to explore their creativity, develop problem-solving skills, and simply enjoy something they love.
As part of the Life Academy curriculum, students participate in four semester long internships based on their individual interests, strengths, skills, and experiences. Knowing our student’s passion and talent for assembling LEGO models, we began thinking about how we could translate that interest into a meaningful employment experience.
That led us to BEVCO Engineering in Sussex, Wisconsin, a company specializing in custom-engineered control panels. We recognized a connection between the detailed, hands-on process of assembling LEGO models and the precision, organization, and problem-solving involved in assembling control panels.
In speaking with BEVCO’s President, Journey21 shared our student’s passion for LEGO and explained how his ability to follow detailed processes, organize components, and build complex models could potentially translate into the workplace. BEVCO embraced the idea and welcomed our student as a 12-week intern.
What began as an internship quickly became something much more meaningful. The experience was so positive for both our student and BEVCO that, at the conclusion of his internship, BEVCO offered him a permanent position. Nearly two years later, he continues to be a valued employee at the company.
The impact of this partnership extended far beyond one successful employment placement. BEVCO’s President shared that the experience was so positive for the entire company that it prompted them to rethink and restructure aspects of their workplace culture and change their recruiting practices. What started as an opportunity to support one Journey21 student ultimately influenced the way the company thinks about talent, inclusion, and employment opportunities.
Our student is incredibly proud to be a BEVCO employee. He continues to stay connected with Journey21 and returns to share his experiences with current Life Academy students, providing encouragement and showing them what is possible when their interests and strengths are recognized and connected to meaningful opportunities.
This is exactly what our Learning Academies and internship program are designed to accomplish. We don’t simply prepare students for employment, we help them discover their strengths, build confidence, gain hands-on experience, and connect with employers who are willing to see their potential.
The partnership between Journey21 and BEVCO Engineering is a powerful example of what can happen when a student’s passion is recognized, an employer is willing to think differently, and education and business come together to create opportunity.
A love of LEGO became a pathway to a career and one student’s success helped inspire positive change within an entire company.