Several local high school students celebrated the completion of their hands-on training in the natural gas industry on Wednesday.
In January, seven high school seniors and three juniors from Central Technical Training Academy began a unique class hosted in partnership with Southwest Gas and the College of Southern Nevada.
The course, taught by Southwest Gas employees, provides students with trade skills at a time when skilled trades offer some of the most in-demand and well-paying career paths.
Debra Baldwin is a Safety, Quality, Training, Qualifications Manager with Southwest Gas.
Baldwin says, “There are some students who want to leave high school, go into the traditional four-year college programs. There are others that want to leave high school and go into the trades. This is an outstanding opportunity for them to get that experience to leave and go into the trades,” said a spokesperson. “This partnership allows students while they’re still in high school to take courses, to get the college credits while they’re still in high school – they can use those credits toward other degrees if they decide to pursue college further or they can take that knowledge and experience and go straight into the workforce.”
As part of their final class today, students had the opportunity to meet with contractors who shared their entry-level positions and the skills they are looking for.