Proviso Press Release

MAYWOOD, Ill. —Proviso East High School senior Carlos Rayo has been accepted into the Des Plaines Valley Region (DPVR) Plumbers Bridge Program, an opportunity that provides high school students with hands-on experience in the plumbing trade and additional points toward acceptance into the Plumbers Apprenticeship Program.

The Plumbers Bridge Program is hosted at Plumber’s Local Union 130A in Chicago and offers specialized courses in Tool and Safety and Trades Math. The program allows students to gain practical experience and develop foundational skills essential for a career in plumbing.

Carlos said his interest in plumbing began during his participation in the district’s summer trades boot camp, where he first learned about the Plumbers Bridge Program.

“When I did the summer boot camp, we went to the plumbers’ local union, and they told us about the program,” Rayo said. “When I visited there, I noticed it was something I wanted to do.”

In addition to the Plumbers Bridge Program, Carlos has taken part in welding, trading, and the DVR summer trades bootcamp, which introduced him to multiple career pathways within the trades.

The Plumbers Bridge Program requires dedication and time management, as Carlos balances his full school schedule at Proviso East with evening classes twice a week in Chicago. The program also reinforces essential math concepts that directly apply to plumbing.

“Math helped me a lot because when I took the apprentice exam, I had already done similar math problems from school,” Rayo said. “There’s a lot of simple math in plumbing, like addition, subtraction, and fractions.”

Carlos shared that his involvement in trades programs has given him confidence and direction about his future career goals.

“About six months ago, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do after high school,” Rayo said. “Since I gave it a chance and started these different programs, I feel now like I know exactly what career I want to do.”

After graduation, Carlos plans to apply for two or three apprenticeships with the goal of becoming a licensed plumber.