KENNEWICK, Wash.–Local high schools and organizations came together this week to teach students about apprentice opportunities.
Today, nine Cornell High School Students went to Columbia Basin Electrical Training Alliance for a session, and training director Geoff Arndes said the training alliance wanted to introduce them to apprenticeship.
The session students attended included an interactive lab from an instructor.
The conduit lab teaches some real basic bends on an offset 90, it’s a half inch conduit,” Arndes said. “It’s really easy for somebody to start out, just getting a taste for some of the work that we do, giving them aspects of one of many systems that we work on.”
Arndes said the best part of the week is interacting with students who know apprenticeship is something they might be interested in.
Those interactions can make a huge difference in these students’ lives, he said.
“I didn’t know about apprenticeship until I was 19 years old and had already gone to one year at CBC,” he said. “But then I found out about apprenticeship, and that’s when I joined in 2001 it was the best career decision I could have made.”
Not only does apprentice week give high school students the chance to learn about future opportunities, but on Friday, parents will also have a chance to learn about what options are available for their children once the next chapter rolls around, Arndes said.
Training Alliance Instructor TJ Carter said there is always a need for people in multiple industries, especially now that a lot of technology either uses or produces electricity.
“There’s always going to be a huge need for people in the electrical field, whether that’s going to be electrical maintenance, electrical installation or just people designing and installing those systems,” he said.
Carter said there is a big push in the construction industry as well, and apprentice week can show students what the field is all about.
“It’s not just digging holes and driving big trucks. Construction is a lot more than that,” he said. “We like to let them know that this is a trade and industry for people who like to use their hands and who also like to use their brains, and so it really appeals to a much broader scope of people than we originally think.”
