Speakers advise local kids of potential jobs in construction

Students seemed shocked Friday when they were told they could potentially make more than a starting lawyer working in construction during a talk at Rocky Boy High School by Tyler Smith, owner of Lakeside Excavation, and Lorren Schlotfeldt, a professor in Montana State University-Northern's plumbing program.

Smith and Schlotfeldt discussed vocations in the trades industry with Havre and Rocky Boy High School students Friday during National Construction Week.

The two started their day at Havre Middle School before traveling to Rocky Boy, then coming back to talk to students at Havre High School.

Schlotfeldt said during his talk at Rocky Boy that employment in the trades has reached crisis level.

"For every three guys retiring, there's only one new hire coming in," he said.

Schlotfeldt took a survey of the class to see how many have been told in order to get a good-paying job, they had to go to college.

Everyone's hand in the room went up.

"Well I'm going to poke a hole in that theory," he said.

For a career in the trades such as electrical, plumbing, construction and so on, Schlotfeldt said people don't have to go to a typical four-year university.

"College isn't for everybody," Smith added. "And that's OK."

More than a thousand opportunities for apprenticeship exist in the United States, Schlotfeldt said. Beginners would have to complete four years of apprenticeship and then another three years to be considered a master in their field of choice, he added.

"Own your own companies, guys," Schlotfeldt said.

Schlotfeldt and Smith estimated that minimum wage in Montana is around $8 an hour versus $12 an hour for someone starting off as an apprentice in a trade. Schlotfeldt added that after four years, the wage increased to $30 an hour.

"It's OK to work with your hands," he said. "It's not a crime."

Schlotfeldt listed some of the trade programs that Northern offers, such as welding certification, auto, diesel, civil engineering technology and plumbing. He added that his plumbing graduates start off at $18 to $20 an hour.

In Montana, it is required to work four years as an apprentice and complete 15 courses, he added. Schlotfeldt said students in the trades departments at Northern don't need to worry about being behind on the education portion should they decide to pursue a college degree.

Trade graduates typically leave Northern with a higher skill level and higher education level, he added.

"If you wanted to join the plumbing program," Schlotfeldt said, "I could guarantee you a job after graduation."

In the past year, Schlotfeldt said he received about 400 inquiries for plumbers. He graduates about 16 each year from his plumbing program at Northern.

Technology has changed the way tradespeople perform this jobs. Schlotfeldt said it has made homes better.

Smith added there are bulldozers that are controlled by satellites and the only thing the operators have to do is hit a button.

The civil engineering technology side has a different process, Smith said. Beginners start off in the shop cleaning and taking care of equipment, then move to the field for field work and from there they can begin to learn to drive a truck. Once the individual has mastered driving a truck, they move to equipment operation, he added.

Smith said it depends on the individual. but it takes between three and 10 years to master the equipment operations side of things. Equipment operators make around $40,000 a year, he added.

"Ultimately when we're talking about trades and we're talking about careers, you guys need to find out what motivates you," Smith said. "Working the trades is hard work, but it is great work."

Work in the trades offers a lot of opportunity, especially for women, Smith said. Schlotfeldt said he knows of a woman in Helena who is only one of two master plumbers in the state, and she will hire any woman who graduates from the plumbing program.

Schlotfeldt said that because demand is high for tradespeople, big companies are willing to pay for room and board as well as allow employees to bring their families.

Smith said that in Las Vegas, if someone were to work as a crane operator, they would be making around $200 an hour.

"Basically, look at a video screen and run a joystick," he added.

Schlotfeldt gave an anecdote about a truck driver who worked for him. He asked the truck driver how he got into that line of work. The truck driver said that he wasn't a good student in school and he would often stare outside because that's where he'd rather be. His teacher told him that he would not make a living by looking outside all day.

"I proved her wrong, I'm a truck driver," Schlotfeldt said the truck driver told him. "I've been all over the U.S. staring out a window driving a truck."

The truck driver makes $100,000 a year, he added.

Central Plumbing and Central Electric are some companies that Schlotfeldt said have worked with Northern students and have apprenticeship programs with Northern students. Smith said some graduates have used their trade skills to improve their local towns and that is a possibility for them as well.