CFHS students get up close look at trades in action

POST FALLS — A group of Clark Fork High School students recently got the chance to learn about a variety of different trades as well as the training needed to land jobs in those fields — and what job might be available.

The trip was part of a visit by CFHS fabrication track students to North Idaho College’s Parker Technical Education Center.

“The point of the trip is for students to see educational paths that lead to real jobs,” said Alex Woodmansee, CFHS career technical education instructor.

The whole point of the trip was for students to see how the trades are taught in school and how they are as a job, said Woodmansee.

The students completed the adventure at Ground Force Worldwide. Woodmansee said, students were able to see the education and skills they would acquire from such programs, like NIC has to offer, put into action.

“It was an awesome experience for the students and myself to see everything from engineering and design, the fabrication process, to the finished product leaving the paint booth,” said Woodmansee. “The machinery and technology was rather impressive.”

He went on to say that the equipment at NIC puts factories that he has worked for to shame. Woodmansee said that students were impressed as well. The trip was beneficial to junior and seniors who know they need to play for post-graduation plans, he added.

CFHS tracks include everyone from freshmen to senior. Woodmansee said the trip was a good chance to expose younger students to brainstorm post-high school plans and job opportunities of which they may not have been aware.

“Some underclassmen said they knew what they wanted to do [for work] after this tour. They may change their plans a hundred times, but now they are creating goals for themselves,” he said.

Woodmansee said that education tracks at CFHS are meant to help students explore their interests. CFHS has a long tradition of pushing students to NIC and other trade schools, he said.

AT CFHS there are two CTE branches, design and creating. Design focuses on 3D design, which acts like drafting, but is now digitized and uses 3D printers. Woodmansee said that students make 3D puzzles and can move up to 3D Design 2 and the school’s engineering program.

The creating portion of CTE is the welding program. Woodmansee said he approaches the program as more of a practice of talents with tools like woodshop used to be. He pushes for students to learn safety, working with tools and problem solving. The class is not designed only for students who want to enter the welding trade, but for students to weld for themselves and repair their own tools.

Woodmansee said that CFHS is committed to trade skills and providing a path for every student.