Training on large equipment in rural Alaska is no easy task, but where there is a will, there is a way! Thanks to the cooperation between Kawerak and Northwest Alaska Career and Technical Education Center (NACTEC) as well as funding from an Alaska Community Foundation Grant, opportunities for heavy equipment training for adults in the Bering Strait have reached new possibilities.
NACTEC owns state of the art simulators, giving participants a realistic experience to earn training time without large pieces of equipment to store and maintain. For the inaugural training held from April 9-12, 8 were trained on these machines. Students logged an average of 14 hours to increase their confidence and skill set on these large machines, adding valuable content to their resume they can utilize for future employment.
As a part of the training, participants also received practical employment advice and expectations from regional employers. Aaron Burmeister of Tumet Industries, a local construction firm, visited the group and talked about employer expectation and the hiring process for regional projects in the villages for wages of $45-$60 per hour.
Kawerak is excited to continue to offer this opportunity to the region through coordination with NACTEC and funding from Alaska Community Foundation; it was obvious the class is in high demand when over 45 applications were received for the limited number of spots! For questions on the training, contact Kendra Nichols Takak at 1-800-450-4341. Keep in touch with us to see more training opportunities by liking and following our “Kawerak Inc” Facebook Page.
Congratulations to the 6 graduates of the second class, held May 14-18!
