On October 23, 2013, 11 Denver Public Schools (DPS) students and their teachers toured Lifespan’s Denver facility to learn about the electronics refurbishing and recycling business and the types of jobs that might be available. The students are in the ACE program, which is part of Career and Technical Education at DPS. The program primarily serves students with disabilities and those considered “at risk.”
Matt Hansen, Lifespan’s Quality, Environmental, Health & Safety Manager, led the students on a tour that included demonstrations by several different technicians. The techs also shared with the students their own background and career path.
The students learned how Lifespan does demanufacturing and computer recycling, testing and data destruction of devices, refurbishing of computers, and loading new operating systems on refurbished equipment. They also learned about the industry certifications e-Stewards, R2/RIOS, and NAID AAA and how those impact everything an employee does at Lifespan.
“The students asked lots of great questions,“ said Hansen. “Our industry is growing and there will be more jobs available in the future. I hope that some of the students will consider us for a job when they graduate.”
In their feedback after the tour, all of the students said they had learned something new about jobs in computer recycling and would recommend the tour to other students. Most of them also said the tour helped them learn about different kinds of jobs and will help them make decisions about whether they’d like to work in the industry.
Studies and organizations such as Coalition for American Electronics Recycling (CAER) and the Colorado Association for Recycling (CAFR) have forecast thousands of new jobs in the industry as the use of electronics continues to grow and consumers and businesses are required by law to recycle, not landfill, all electronics.
At DPS, ACE works to transition students from high school to post-secondary education, training, and/or the workforce. ACE provides opportunities to build strong relationships with the business community through site visits, jobs and job shadows, and other programs.
Lifespan’s Denver team was pleased to support this program. Lifespan provides IT Asset Disposition (ITAD) services to enterprises and organizations. These include secure, certified data destruction, refurbishing and remarketing, and certified recycling.
