Job Corps open house showcases student opportunities
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RONAN – Nestled against the foot of the Mission Mountains is an incubator, where for almost a quarter century Donna Mitchell has watched young people transition from childhood into the adult world.
“You get great students who come in and they change right before your eyes,” Mitchell said. “You see everyone turn into beautiful butterflies. They get here just a little ugly, and they bloom.”
Mitchell says she is the “unofficial mom” at Kicking Horse Job Corps, a career readiness center located south of Ronan that opened its doors to the public last week in celebration of the national Job Corps’ 50th anniversary.
Mitchell teaches impoverished students ages 16-24 about career readiness standards as they prepare to enter the workforce from the handful of trades the center teaches. She says the work done at Job Corps is absolutely transformative.
“They learn so much in their trades from their instructors,” Mitchell said. “Their employability is huge.”
Kicking Horse Job Corps students become certified nursing assistants, pharmacy technicians, diesel mechanics or culinary artists during a free two-year enrollment period. In addition to learning a skill, students also have access to resources that help them obtain a driver’s license, pre-college testing, high school diploma equivalent, and licensing for their new vocation.
From day one students are taught how to be professionals as they work their way through the self-paced program. For individuals who excel there are advanced training opportunities at other Job Corps campuses, where students can become licensed nurses and higher-level mechanics.
Some students see their Job Corps experience as a chance to jump start a high-paying career without landing in a pile of student debt.
“I love it, it’s free and you learn all different types of trades without taking on any student loans,” diesel mechanic student Austin Aucone.
Pharmacy technology student Matthew Mecham hopes to use his job to propel him into a future career in the medical sciences.
“I’m trying to go into a pre-med in Colorado,” Mecham said. “These guys have been great helping me do the things to do that. They’ve helped me get registered for my ACT, and helped me write my essays.”
Other students are locals, who live in the community and hope to work on or near the Flathead Reservation once they graduate.
Merissa Pablo, 22, and Kimberly Matt, 24, attend the dental assistant program that is routed through Salish Kootenai College.
“I went to the college first for nursing and kind of got burned out on it,” Matt said. “So I was looking for something different and someone mentioned Job Corps and how it was free, so I decided to do it. I’ve come to love it.”
Recruiter Molly Crawford-Worth said her office places approximately 1,000 students in six Job Corps programs across Montana and Utah each year. She encourages young, low-income students to consider the program.
“If college didn’t work out, and you are looking for a trades-based environment, this might be for you,” Crawford-Worth said. “I have students that graduate who start out making $50,000 to $60,000 per year.”
