Flathead Valley Community College to Host Interactive Trades Education Night
Community members on Oct. 3 will be able to engage in hands-on career sessions in fields from culinary arts to heavy equipment operation, as well as meet local employers
By Denali Sagner
Prospective students are invited to explore hands-on career sessions during Flathead Valley Community College’s (FVCC) Night of the Trades, which will take place on campus on Oct. 3 from 6 to 8:30 p.m.
At Night of the Trades, FVCC instructors will host interactive sessions where attendees will be able to explore the college’s career education facilities, from its commercial kitchen to its welding booths, and speak with trades instructors. Session topics will include plumbing, surveying, welding, fabrication, heavy equipment operator, commercial driving, advanced manufacturing: mills, lathes and CNC, HVAC and refrigeration, culinary arts, construction/building trades, electrical and firearms technologies.
In addition to the interactive sessions for prospective students, the college will hold a session for parents during which they will be able to learn about the various pathways their children can explore when finding a post-graduate career.
Lisa Blank, executive director of workforce development for FVCC, said the program is designed to “highlight everything that’s going on here.”
Attendees will also be able to speak with businesses to better understand the needs of local employers and the paths to building a successful career in the Flathead Valley. Representatives from Plumb Rite Plumbing, Sands Surveying, Seals Custom Fabrication, Rocky Mountain Contractors, Nomad GCS, Ace Heating and Air, Defiance Machine, K. Allison Homes, Copper Mountain Builders and Weyerhauser will be in attendance.
Blank said the college planned Night of the Trades to coincide with the Kalispell Chamber of Commerce’s Flathead Manufacturing Month, which will take place throughout October. During Manufacturing Month, Flathead Valley residents will be invited to tour local businesses and learn more about their distinct manufacturing processes. Participating local businesses include SunRift Beer Company, PROOF Research, Kettle Care Botanicals, Glacier Precast Concrete and Mountain Meadow Herbs, among others.
While the college has long hosted career fairs for high school students, Blank said it was critical for FVCC this year to open Night of the Trades to prospective students of all ages, reflecting the college’s mission to educate non-traditional students.
“This is for anyone and everyone,” she said.
FVCC has majorly expanded its trades education infrastructure in recent years, adding and expanding courses in building trades, commercial driving, medical support and small-business administration. Administrators say the expansions to career programs have helped meet the needs of the region’s changing economy, as demand for workers from electricians to lab technicians grows.
“Our dedication to student success and meeting employers’ demands sets this program apart. We focus on the explanations behind what students are learning, so they understand the whys and hows and become life-long problem solvers. Our programs prepare students to excel as highly-qualified leaders in high-wage industry career pathways,” FVCC’s Heating, Ventilation, Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration (HVAC) Instructor Tommy McDade said in a statement.
More information and a registration form can be found on FVCC’s website. Those with questions can email FVCC’s workforce training department at [email protected].