By BRENT MARTIN
St. Joseph Post
Youth seeking a career in the trades have more opportunity now than ever, according to the St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce.
Workforce Development Director Kristie Arthur says times have changed in education and in the labor sector.
“For years there was a push for everyone needs to go to college,” Arther says. “I believe that has changed, not only in schools with a lot of initiatives, but also at home. I think people are realizing that you can make a very nice living in a trade and not have the expense of a four-year school.”
Arthur says a technical school education provides opportunity that simply wasn’t available in the past.
“Some of these jobs are starting at $20 an hour,” according to Arthur. “That’s unheard of for our community and it’s just a very exciting time to be getting into the workforce. These students have such an opportunity to start like that and then build their way up.”
Arthur says the Chamber has had great success in the Northwest Missouri Apprenticeship Program at Hillyard Technical Center. Students who enroll in the program learn a trade in class and then apply their skills at a St. Joseph area business.
“Part of their opportunity in the afternoons are to be able to go to work for employers in town,” Arthur says, adding more than 25 business participate in the program. “In the last three years, we’ve graduated over 35 students in that program and this year is so exciting. We will enroll 26 apprentices.”
The Apprenticeship Program at Hillyard began when the St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce applied for a Department of Labor grant in 2018.