TERO apprentices participating in the Construction Combine.
By OLIVIA YOKOYAMA
Sho-Ban News
FORT HALL — On April 11 and 12, ISU’s Workforce Training and Home Depot hosted a Construction Combine for students and job seekers that are looking to expand their knowledge and learn new skills in a trade.
The students worked as a group to construct 11 sheds to be donated to the veterans around the Chubbuck and Pocatello area. The event was a great turnout for the community said Akaila Martin, TERO apprentice coordinator because it brought community members on and off the reservation that included students and Journeyman from the TERO and 477 program, along with Drug Court Participants from different diversion courts.
The purpose of the event is to help those job seekers, students, and anyone that is interested in learning carpentry skills. It was a good experience for the younger students because they had the skilled journeyman to shadow and teach. TERO and the 477 program had their apprentices attend and it would count as hours if needed.
Home Depot, Army National Guard and Lookout Credit Union were major sponsors for the event by donating buckets from the store with tools such as hammers, measuring tapes, pencils, and basic carpentry tools that are needed.
On the first day of the event, the students combined together and participated in stations with the teachers who covered all the learning aspects of all the basic education needs of electrical, flooring, roofing, plumbing. The work stations were until 4 p.m. then wrapped up and continued on the next day at 7 a.m. when they started working on the 11 sheds.
Journeyman Colton Teton and one year apprentice, Justin Reed work on the project.
First year apprentice Trevor Johnson said, ”The combine helped me with working with others being organized and I learned a lot from Steve Quentin,” and he encourages anyone or anybody to learn a trade. He looks forward to his next three years in the program.
Martin has recruited about 15 carpenter apprentices that are active — two plumbing apprentice, electrician apprentices, heavy equipment operator Apprentices, a welder apprentice and an HVAC apprentice. She said having the event brought students out of there comfort zone to learn different skills and look into a trade.
Colton Reese Teton, a four-year apprentice, is still learning things in life and the apprenticeship program has taught him a lot in life. He thanked Lenora Snipe for giving him that second chance in life and was the key to stay in the program year by year. Teton said, “there is life and goodness and need to keep moving forward. It’s a foundation of our youth of leaders and builders, we need to all come together.” Having that personal drive to finish something Teton said he has his grandfather Sam Uribe and children Hailey Jo and Carlin Reese Teton as his motivation to stay positive and keep moving forward.
477 worker Lloyd Gonzales, who has been working with the 477 program, said it was a good experience for the newcomers and to put your effort into it. He wishes more people will get into it and the skills that were taught just at the construction combine will stick with him.
After the event was finished they donated the sheds and had drawings for the workers that participated both days. They had a chance to win a drill set, hat and impact drill. Gonzales went home with a toolbox.