Monday, January 25, 2021
Jorja Larson took her first welding exploration course at Baraboo High School. It sparked a real interest in a career that’s 98 percent male.* Her next step? CESA 5’s Youth Apprenticeship program where she applied to Synergy Metalworks in Baraboo and has never looked back.
“One of the most effective ways to involve more gender non-traditional students in CTE,” according to Courtney Benjamin, an Association of Career & Technical Education Fellow, “ … is to showcase successful gender non-traditional teachers and industry professionals as well as provide related mentorship opportunities for students… ”
For Jorja, that person was Cassie Brozak, Fabrication and Production Manager at Synergy, and also a non-traditional welder. Cassie has been a powerful role model for young women, mentoring youth apprentices, demonstrating skill and leadership in a male-dominated industry, and presenting to state lawmakers on the importance of the Youth Apprenticeship program.
Cassie's example and support, and Jorja’s desire to continue in the area’s industry, are huge boosts to other non-traditional gender participants interested in the region’s metal fabrication industry. In the nearly two years since Jorja started her journey, she has gained real-world work experience and related high school coursework in welding angles, heat adjustments, voltage adjustments, and much more.
Perhaps more importantly, however, through her district’s academic and career planning (ACP) resources, Jorja has realized how a welding career may help her reach the goals of her desired life plan. She has researched salary and benefits, postsecondary educational opportunities, and how the demand for welders matches the places she would like to live. That information, combined with her lived experience of the career’s look and feel has fortified her decision to pursue welding.
Now a senior, Jorja is looking to her future. She “hopes to stay at Synergy Metalworks for most of my career.” Still, she’s hedging her bets. “Instead of being limited to one trade,” says Jorja, “I am making myself an asset to many different areas such as global shipping, welding, cutting, and assembly. With the confidence I have gained through my Youth Apprenticeship program and the field experience it provides, I will go to MATC’s welding and metal fabrication programs knowing I am competent enough to become a professional welder.”
At the end of the day, the DPI’s stated intent for ACP is to equip students and their families with the tools necessary to make more informed choices about postsecondary education, training, and life careers after high school. It will take more than just a community’s school district to make that vision a reality. It will take partnerships with community groups, employers, parents, postsecondary partners, and various other stakeholders.
If Jorja’s experience is any indication, the ACP resources provided by the Baraboo High School, opportunities provided by the community and area businesses, and persistence of Baraboo students are paying dividends.
*U.S. Department of Labor
—Joel Mindham, Director of Career and Technical Education, CESA 5