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A Philip Randolph Vending Students Mentors Take Part In NAMAs 2017 Fly-In

WASHINGTON -- Four students in the Philadelphia School District's vending technical training program at the A. Philip Randolph Career Academy , as well as instructor Davis Haines, joined the Tri-State Automatic Merchandising Council's delegation at the National Automatic Merchandising Association's annual Fly-In legislative advocacy conference in the nation's capital last month. Bud Burke of RSA Management Group , who chairs the school's Vending Technology Program Occupational Advisory Committee, report...

August 10, 2017 by Tim Sanford

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WASHINGTON -- Four students in the Philadelphia School District's vending technical training program at the A. Philip Randolph Career Academy, as well as instructor Davis Haines, joined the Tri-State Automatic Merchandising Council's delegation at the National Automatic Merchandising Association's annual Fly-In legislative advocacy conference in the nation's capital last month.

Bud Burke of RSA Management Group, who chairs the school's Vending Technology Program Occupational Advisory Committee, reports that the Tri-State group visited five legislative offices during the event. "The students did a fabulous job explaining their program and the opportunities that the vending industry provides them, while in school and through the prospect of employment and a career after graduation," Burke said.

Burke added that the program's two female students explained how they currently earn money by servicing a Rubi coffee machine that's located in the School District of Philadelphia's downtown administrative offices. Running this machine is giving the students hands-on vending operational experience, filling product and performing maintenance and repair. The proceeds from the hot beverage machine, and another one that's scheduled to be installed soon, will help to finance the Randolph students' trip to the NAMA convention and exhibit next year. Previously called the OneShow, the event will debut as the NAMA Show at the Las Vegas (NV) Convention Center from March 21 through 23.

The industry veteran thanked the NAMA Foundation and the women's industry network for underwriting the school's participation in the Fly-In.

"If any member of the industry is in the Philadelphia area, please put an hour or two into your schedule to see -- as one of the students told the legislators -- 'The only vending technology program in the world," Burke urged.

The unique high school-level vending technicians' training program, offered in the Philadelphia School District for 28 years, has overcome an administrative difficulty that had jeopardized its continuation. | SEE STORY

The problem was the absence of a Classification of Instructional Programming code in the federal listing of vocational training courses eligible for federal support, and hence of state authorization.

Bud Burke of RSA Management Group, who chairs the training program's industry advisory committee, reports that instructor Davis Haines has attained certification as an "electronics instructor," for which there is a CIP code. "Now that he is cross-certified, he is able to receive a teaching certificate under the electronics CIP code and has merged the task list for the electronics and vending programs together," Burke explained. 

Going forward, the course will be named "Electronic Circuitry/Vending." A very useful bonus of this nomenclature is that it qualifies the program to receive a $90,000 instrument for teaching electronic circuits.

Burke credits Haines and Randolph Technical High School Principal Darryl Overton, as well as and the Office of Career and Technical Education at the School District of Philadelphia, with working effectively for this resolution. "It appears as though the program is on the right track to be around for another 25 plus years," the industry veteran concluded.

About Tim Sanford

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Tim Sanford is the retired, long-time editor of Vending Times.

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