In carpentry, formwork is the temporary structure that shapes wet concrete as it cures. It determines the final quality of the concrete but is never meant to stay in place. Anne Arundel Community College’s carpentry pre‑apprenticeship program served a similar purpose for Liam Keener, giving him the structure and support to shape his career.
Keener enrolled in the program during his senior year of high school.
“When I graduated the carpentry program, I also graduated my high school on the exact same day,” he said.
His parents’ construction backgrounds — his father in architecture and his mother in project management — influenced his decision, but seeing AACC’s Clauson Center during an open house solidified it.
Pre‑apprenticeships prepare students for entry‑level work in the trades. Like custom-built formwork, AACC’s three‑course, 208‑hour program is designed to meet students where they are. For Keener, it provided a major head start.
“With the pre-apprenticeship program here at AACC, I managed to skip the first year and a half of the official apprenticeship program,” he said. “That fast tracks me into the apprenticeship program and gets me into being an actual qualified carpenter faster.”
Keener connected with his current apprenticeship host, Hensel Phelps, at a college job fair. He values the company’s willingness to teach.
"They are willing to put in the time and effort to make sure I know what I'm doing,” he said. Even when he makes mistakes, coworkers “teach me the right way to do it.”
Steady pay raises throughout the apprenticeship keep him motivated, but the work itself is what he enjoys most.
“My favorite thing about carpentry is the way you can just assemble different things and turn a random piece of wood into something beautiful, whether it be a house, a sculpture or just even a toy,” he said.
Keener has worked on concrete forms too and knows that something fluid can become strong, stable and permanent with the right support. Just like his future career.