New Program Supports Students in Trades

What if I told you there was a way to work and get invaluable knowledge at the same time? Not to mention, you could start out in a career debt-free.

It sounds like a dream, right? Well, dreams really can come true: MHCC has launched a new program to help students on their path to a career in one of several skilled trades – such as electrical, mechanical, machining, or similar construction or manufacturing professions.

The Step-Up program was proposed for a federally funded grant in the fall of 2018. By November, Kenia Perez-Correa and Laura Nitti had taken on the title of student success specialists, with the job of advising Step-Up students. Each specialist currently advises six students, but has the availability to advise another 34 people.

The Step-Up program helps eligible low-income students connect with available job apprenticeships in the trade they are pursuing. The program prepares its students by helping them build a strong résumé. For example, Step-Up can help with getting students enrolled in the classes needed to obtain a GED. The program also offers financial assistance with tuition and fees, childcare, books and materials, as well as transportation.

Nitti and Perez-Correa see the program as a way to help people who might not otherwise have the time or resources to attend college. They would like to let more people know that trades are a lucrative and versatile career path in 2019. Going after a two- or four-year degree is not for everyone, and America is coming to terms with that concept more easily in the past couple of years, the specialists say. The need for skilled labor is rising and there aren’t enough workers currently to fill all the jobs available.

Perez-Correa says the trades are great for anyone: “Especially if you like working with your hands, the trades can be a perfect fit.”

For students seriously considering a career in the trades, Step-Up can help connect them with pre-apprenticeships. In this case, the student would get work experience necessary to be a stronger applicant in their chosen field.

While these are often unpaid opportunities, they can be good for someone who is interested, but not yet sure which trade would suit them best.

Perez-Correa and Nitti will sit down with any students interested in the trades and figure out which would be the best path. In order to take advantage of the Step-Up program, students must be at least 18 years old, no longer enrolled in high school, and receiving SNAP (food stamp) benefits.

Nitti and Perez-Correa encourage students to reach out to them with any questions they might have. Reach them at [email protected] or [email protected].

Their office is in Room 1162, where High School Services is located.