HELENA — Tuesday at the Lewis & Clark County Fairgrounds, students had the chance to explore career opportunities in trades in a very hands-on way.
“I love learning about this and a hands-on experience, it’s fun,” said Capital High School sophomore McKenna Michalson.
“I've never done anything like that before,” said Capital High School junior Jaston Scott, “so I mean it was good to just check it out and see what it’s about.”
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Helena Public Schools hosted Winter Trades Day, an optional field trip for high schoolers in the area to learn more about trades they can pursue after graduation.
The showcase is designed to spark interest by providing a hands-on learning experience so students can imagine themselves in the same shoes in the future.
“I’m interested in the trades as a career path, so I think doing this would be a good opportunity to maybe meet some new people in the trades and then kind of see what it's like,” Scott said.
“Regular school, I feel like is more sitting down and reading a textbook,” Michalson said. “You still get information, but some people don't learn that way, and other people are more hands-on and like being with it and learning about it.”
Over 100 students signed up and attended. The ten stations they could pick from include welding, electrical, plumbing, H-VAC, flooring, carpentry, cabinet making, sheet rock hanging and finishing, and heavy equipment simulators.
The demonstrations also helped students learn their preferences.
“I wanted to widen what I knew,” Michalson said, “because I was only really interested in woodworking, but now that I see the plumbing and welding, and I think electric is somewhere, I wanted to learn more about that as well.”
The showcase also allows students to make industry connections in the fields they want to pursue.
According to the Montana Department of Labor and Industry, trades jobs are highly in demand and they pay well too, with construction jobs averaging $71,000 a year as an average wage and advanced manufacturing jobs averaging $113,000 a year.
“It's kind of changing that it's a good thing to work with your hands, you know, especially this world of AI,” said Capital High carpentry teacher and trades day organizer Tom Kain. “The trades are kind of AI-proof, and there's always gonna be somebody needed to hang sheet rock and plumb a house and weld, so this is an opportunity for the students to try it.”
Organizers say they plan to run the event again next year, looking to expand the number of trade workers in the area.
