Anything is possible: Grant County students explore career opportunities at inaugural Trades Day

Published 6:15 am Wednesday, March 29, 2023

Scores of high school students from around the region came to the Grant County Fairgrounds on Wednesday, March 22, to explore the variety of career opportunities available in Grant County in a new event known as Trades Day. A number of employers were on hand to inspire and encourage local youth to explore future possibilities. Around 250 students from around Grant County, and some from the city of Unity in Baker County, attended the event, where they got a chance to network, apply for jobs and earn scholarships offered by some of the event partners.

Brett Morris, managing member of Morris Forestry, a logging and fuel reduction company in John Day, offered job applications and information to the students and spoke during a panel where trade representatives discussed topics such as pay and work expectations.

“We never had anything like this when I was going to school,” he said. “It was a great way to show some of the different options that the kids have after high school.”

Students were able to meet and network with the business owners and service representatives from a number of the county’s employers, which included construction, forestry and logging companies, auto repair shops, electrical workers and welders, among others.

More than two dozen community partners, including regional employers, unions, trade schools and training organizations, set up tables and demonstration areas for the benefit of the area youth, who could ask questions and even try out equipment.

“I think it’s a really good starting opportunity to get people engaged and to give them an idea of what they’re looking at,” said Norbert Volny, 17, a student at Long Creek School who appeared excited to speak to Clint Benge, assistant manager of the Les Schwab Tire Center in John Day, after Benge demonstrated the removal of a giant tire from a loader truck. “I’m super happy to be able to ask questions and expand my knowledge.”

The event, put on by the Oregon State University Extension Service Open Campus, the Training & Employment Consortium and the Grant County Education Service District, was held over two days. Tuesday, March 21, was for adults exploring career opportunities, and the Wednesday event was for high school students.

“Today is about workforce development and our needs in Grant County — and in learning what those needs are through our Community Action Team, we know that we need to have more young people coming back to the area and we have multiple employers in the area that are interested in hiring,” said Didgette McCracken, Open Campus and agriculture faculty member with the OSU Extension Service in Grant County. “We’re connecting the students and the employers and the training and the educational opportunities to fill those positions so that students can make these connections and learn what they need to prepare for after high school.”

Benge spoke to the students about his own work experience and said Trades Day was a great event.

“It gives the kids an idea of what actually goes on outside of a classroom,” he said. “And with my profession, it’s all hands-on. We teach everybody from the time that they start until the time that they quit. It’s a learning experience all the time.”

Michael “Opie” Bass, a heavy-duty diesel mechanic, also spoke to students at the event. Bass owns OP Customs auto repair shop in Prairie City.

“We didn’t have anything like this when I was in high school, but I think it’s a great opportunity for kids to actually come out and see what some of these trades look like in person,” he said. “They get to see the equipment. They get to see the tools involved. And they get to talk to a lot of guys that have way more experience than I do in this. I think it’s a really good thing.”

Viola Scott, 17, of Prairie City was able to try the metal engraving tool brought to the event by Eagles in Flight motorcycle shop in Prairie City.

“I think (the event is) really good for our community, especially inspiring young people and showing them that there’s a multitude of paths they can take in life, because oftentimes we’re told that there’s only one path, like get out of school and go to college and you can make over 100K and support a family and stuff like that,” she said. “But here you can work a trade and you can learn all sorts of different paths.”

Robert Waltenburg, superintendent of the Grant County Education Service District, said this year’s event was a success and organizers hope to keep it going in coming years.

“The more that we can expose kids to opportunity — and it doesn’t matter if it’s college-bound kids, local kids looking for that niche or getting into the trades — we need to expose kids to as much as we can, to let them know that anything is possible,” Waltenburg said.