Carmi High School students build trades skills at SIC
Shared with permission from WEHT News
Students at Carmi White County High School get some hands-on training thanks to the Southeastern Illinois College and a White County business.
The Stanford D. Williams Career and Training Center has been offering students in White County the opportunity to learn real world trades. Students have to meet certain GPA requirements to take part. The program allows students to learn multiple skills and prepare them for life after school.
“They come out here now they want to go into a vocational trade area,” says Southeastern Illinois College Vocational Specialist Griffin Hart. “They don’t know what exactly, so this program allows them to go into a multitude of areas. We cover welding, we cover automotive plumbing, electrical carpentry. We also get our OSHA 10 certification through this program.”
Today’s assignment is for students to work with an official from Elastec to build a portable pump frame.
“You can tell they have a kind of a hunger to learn,” says Elastec Director of Operations Brian Orr. “They’ve been really great and they say right there with me any instruction that we were able to get they say they take the heart and they really try to try to apply it. I like to push with any type of our vocational classes out here at this college to try to get in that hands-on training you can know all the ins and outs through your textbook beginning with yourself. Hands-on with an item is a completely different animal.”
Students enter the program with different levels of experience. Organizers say the program and training shows them other career paths after high school.
“You don’t have to go to college to make good money and have a good family and live well,” says Carmi White County High School Junior Connor Benham. “I feel like a lot of kids don’t like they don’t like the in-class work in this trying to give your hands on visuals and keep you learning with your hands, I didn’t really know how to weld too much before and now I do.”
Soon, adults from all over will be able to sign up for this training. You can find more information about how to apply here.