When Carter Benson graduated from Breckenridge (MN) High School last spring, he not only finalized his college plans, he secured full-tuition coverage, a summer job, and a job for after graduation – his college graduation.
Thanks to a Sponsorship from C&W Services and Cargill, both of Wahpeton, Benson received full tuition reimbursement to study electrical technology for two years at North Dakota State College of Science in Wahpeton. He will earn his Associate of Applied Science degree while receiving hands-on training by working summers and school breaks in electrical maintenance at Cargill’s high fructose corn syrup plant. In exchange, Benson signed a two-year work agreement for after graduation with C&W Services, the company that provides the mechanical, electrical, and facility maintenance and service for the processing plant.
Benson benefits from free college tuition and a future job, while C&W Services and Cargill gain a specially trained employee. The Sponsorship is a win for all involved parties.
“I’m excited about the tuition coverage and that I have a job I can rely on,” says Benson, now a first-year student at NDSCS. “I don’t have to look for somewhere else to work after college. And while I’m in school, I can apply what I’m learning right away. I can relate my work to my schooling and vice versa. It’s very helpful.”
Terrence Bolte, Wahpeton account manager for C&W Services, is thrilled about this opportunity to secure a future electrical maintenance technician.
“This is our first Sponsorship for our Wahpeton site,” he says. “We have electricians looking to retire, so we’re looking to the future and seeing that need to fill the gap.”
C&W Services and Cargill received matching funds of $8,500 from ND Career Builders to help cover the cost of tuition. It’s a program that makes it even easier to offer Sponsorships to secure future workforce.
“It’s wonderful that the state is willing to help invest in students’ future,” Bolte says. “It helps reduce the costs for employers as we help fill the need for employees in the trades.”
All parties are benefitting from this partnership, says Kyle Armitage, dean of Career and Technical Education at NDSCS.
“This is a powerful example of what can be achieved when dedicated students, NDSCS, the state of North Dakota, and industry collaborate with a shared commitment to developing a top-tier workforce,” he says. “Carter Benson’s story—where determination meets opportunity—perfectly illustrates the success of this partnership.”
Finding a meaningful and interesting career path
Benson is excited to have found a trade career that is interesting and challenging, promises a good salary, and includes opportunities for advancement. After hearing about electrical technology careers first from his uncle and then from Bolte, whom he knew personally, he took a couple of classes at NDSCS during his senior year of high school and found he really enjoyed them. After signing on with the Sponsorship, he spent the summer working at Cargill, getting a feel for the complexities of the plant, the types of maintenance and service work required, and what it might look like for him to work as a full-time employee.
“It was a lot of job shadowing,” Benson says. “I was learning where everything was and the types of tasks I would be expected to do.”
Providing that hands-on work experience is key to the Sponsorship.
“There’s a learning curve,” Bolte says. “It’s really eye-opening to be in the plant. I don’t think people understand what really happens in a facility like this until they step inside.”
It’s one of the reasons C&W Services and Cargill are partnering with Golden Path Solutions. They are teaming up to develop a personalized strategy to reach high school students, like Benson, to drive future workforce. In addition to highlighting key careers in the online platform Compass, the companies are setting up job shadow experiences through Compass to bring more students on-site to discover what it takes to operate this type of facility.
It’s the type of opportunity Benson encourages other students to seek out as they are looking toward their futures.
“You need to know that there are opportunities out there,” he says. “You just need to look for them.”
For more information about job shadows, Sponsorships, and other opportunities that connect students to careers and employers, visit Golden Path Solutions online or contact us.