Hillyard programs to be showcased Tuesday
Aug. 26—An event to highlight Hillyard Technical Center course offerings in the skilled trades is scheduled for next week.
The Program and Industry Partner Showcase will feature various services available to about 450 students from 20 different education agencies, including the St. Joseph School District. Students who meet academic and disciplinary qualifications compete for a slot, with opportunities at local businesses often available after graduation.
The showcase, set to begin at 5 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 30, at 3434 Faraon St., includes Hillyard instructors and various "industry partners," the school district's term for companies that sponsor learning in a given industrial art, such as welding or precision machining. Starting pay for qualified graduates often runs from $20 to $30 per hour or more.
"You really can't go to many businesses in the St. Joe community without hearing about different people that work there that got trained at Hillyard," said Jill Huntsman, Hillyard director. "So I think this will be an incredible way for people to see what we have to offer as a viable solution for their students, even if they're going to choose to go on to college. They could get a start here and then be on their way."
The event coincides with the planned expansion of the Hillyard Technical Center, a process the board of education started in June. At that meeting, the board selected an architect for a planned 15,000-square-foot build. Although the design and concept behind this project are still in the works, it is being done to give more space to instructors and the current industry partners that support them so students can benefit from more hands-on laboratory learning. The recruitment of new industries is a distinct possibility. Huntsman said the project will be discussed Tuesday.
"We will have partners here that evening for welding," she said. "We will also have some industry partners here for our industrial equipment repair and maintenance course, and that's another program area that will benefit from the expansion. Both fields are in huge demand right now."
On Thursday, St. Joseph School Board President David Foster — himself an alumnus of a technical school who worked as a skilled tradesman before he began his career as a real estate investor — spoke about the prospects of the expansion. Foster sat with Charles Christian of News-Press NOW in the "Community Conversations" weekly special.
"One of the things I'm most excited about is the 15,000-square-foot expansion. A lot of people don't know Hillyard Tech Center has the No. 1 apprenticeship program in the state of Missouri," Foster said. "So, everyone's really excited."
Marcus Clem can be reached at marcus.clem@newspressnow.com. Follow him on Twitter: @NPNowClem
