Introduction to Trades will once again be offered to students at the College of the Rockie campus in Golden starting on Feb. 6, 2012.
Golden Campus Manager Karen Cathcart said the ten week program had success last year and this year they are hoping to build on that success.
“It is a variety of trade awareness, skill and new knowledge. Students will also receive a number of certifications from traffic control, S-100 fire suppression along with fork lift training and other skills,” Cathcart said.
She went on to say that the beauty of the program is the mentoring side of the apprenticeship they receive during the course from the instructors and local businesses which help produce the course.
“The beauty of this program is that it does a number of things. I call the graduates of this program journeymen helpers for lack of a better term. I get a sense from our journeymen in our community that it is good for them to have a helper working along with them to get not only the sense of the work and trade, but also the ethic piece which is vital to these people,” Cathcart said.
She feels that this program offers students a chance to try out different trades which are out there while also seeing what is needed to be an apprentice. Cathcart also believes that completing the course with many different certifications will also make the students more marketable.
Three of the people who help with the instruction of the course are welder Tyler Gulliford, Louisiana Pacific supervisor Duncan Bedford and electrician James Acton. “A tradesperson takes pride in their accomplishments in the work that they do. The apprenticeship portion of the trade is a very large part of keeping the trade progressing. I think in the end it gives an opportunity to get involved in a career where they can get the opportunity to make a healthy living, doing interesting work that they can take pride in,” said Acton.
As for the instructors, they enjoy their time helping the students have a little taste of many different choices that are out there for them.
“I wanted to help the kids along. We were there once ourselves. It gives them a lot of different aspects of trades, there is a lot to do…I didn’t have that when I picked a trade,” Gulliford said.
“All of the instructors were successful people. They are doing things that do not require a formal university education. A majority of these people can hire because they know what they are looking for. It is pretty impressive what they get taught,” Bedford said.
For more information you can contact the College of the Rockies in Golden at 250-344-5901.
