Published:
Congratulations to the Fall 2025 graduates of the Highway Construction Careers Training Program (HCCTP) at Black Hawk College!
Pictured from left to right are:
- Front row – Jacob White of Davenport, IA; Hannah Fritz of Davenport, IA; Vincent Tapia of Bettendorf, IA; Austin DeWitte of Moline; Ahren Schmidt of Taylor Ridge; Caleb Johnson of East Moline; and Daffiney DeVries of Davenport, IA.
- Back row – Christian Dykstra of Davenport, IA; Bryan Thomas of Davenport, IA; Gabriel Hoyt of Davenport, IA; Chase Sweetman of Kewanee; Jacob Welveart of East Moline; Dalton Meyer of Davenport, IA; and Cooper Stock of East Moline.
Fritz, Hoyt, Johnson, Schmidt, Stock, Thomas, Welveart and White had perfect attendance for the 13-week class.
View photos from the program and the community projects the students completed.
About the HCCTP
The Illinois Department of Transportation created the 450-hour program to prepare people to work in construction and to increase the number of minorities, women and disadvantaged persons working on IDOT projects.
The Black Hawk College program is tied for the highest placement rate of the 12 HCCTP programs in Illinois. Of the previous 64 graduates, 73 percent have become apprentices in the building trades.
Three Fall 2025 graduates already started working in the trades – Jacob White (Cement Masons), Gabriel Hoyt (Ironworkers) and Bryan Thomas (Carpenters) – and Daffiney DeVries joined the Electrical Workers earlier in the semester.
There is no cost to participants who are selected for the program. Students in the Spring 2026 class will receive a stipend of $15 per hour.
