HELENA — Job opportunities in the trades are increasing in the Treasure State. They are preparing the next generation of employees through apprenticeships, and events like the Helena College Manufacturing and Mechanics Night.
The event is a partnership between Helena College and Helena WINS.
“The goal of this evening is to expose students from middle school to high school into new things that they have not of thought about before," Cheryl Ravenscroft, the K-12 assistant director of Helena College says.
Students and their families learned about the trade programs at Helena College and met employers in the area looking for people equipped with the skills and knowledge trade programs teach.
Employers like Boeing and Helena Motors.
Matthew Shields, a high school senior says, “It gives you an idea of what the career options are around here.”
Trades jobs don’t just impact the local community, they can impact the state, even the world from right here in the Helena area
like American Chemet which manufactures components used in phones and are shipped to six continents.
McKinley Winkle the Helena Area Chamber vice president says, “We have so many employers in this area and we also have so many bright and talented students coming up in our school system that we want them to stay and work here in Helena.”
Apprenticeships also offer a way for students to get into the trades.
Ravenscroft says, “The best part of my job is helping them write that narrative of what that looks like. It could be college, career, an apprenticeship straight to work.”
According to the Montana Department of Labor and Industry and Helena College statistics, 86 percent of apprenticeship graduates and 82 percent of Helena College trades graduates find jobs soon after completing their programs.
For the middle and high school students in attendance it’s never too early to start thinking about the future and first-year high school student Keith Callio appreciates events like this for helping him plan and prepare.
Callio says, “I feel like it a great way for them to get life skills because not a lot of people in my generation are interested in it or interested in putting in the work to get started.”
