Skilled trades classwork could equate to student grants and scholarships

When Erik Trost started his manufacturing class in 2017, his goal was to be able to pay students for the work they did in class.

In Trost’s industrial technology class at St. Francis High School, students are assigned to roles like production manager and foreman, putting them in charge of estimating, quoting, ordering materials, planning and logistics for projects, including producing snowplow components that are sold to the Department of Transportation for profit.

“It’s designed to run like a business,” Trost said.

While the class has been running for nearly a decade, getting those funds back to students continues to be an issue.

Rep. Peggy Scott (R-Andover) sponsors HF1791 that, as amended, would allow schools and cooperative centers to use funds from the profits of career and technical education courses for grants and scholarships to participating students.

The House Education Finance Committee laid over the bill Tuesday for possible omnibus bill inclusion.

Scholarships could be used for tuition and expenses to attend a postsecondary institution, the costs of a certificate program or a student's costs associated with enrollment in a registered apprenticeship program.

Grants would fund the cost of supplies for students entering the workforce or military, which can often run thousands of dollars.

“The grant piece is probably even more important in the sense that a lot of my students go to work right out of high school,” Trost said.

Manufacturing is Minnesota’s second largest industry and bringing more students to the industry is key to its future, said Steve Kalina, president and CEO of the Minnesota Precision Manufacturing Association.

“Getting kids, teachers and parents more aware of career opportunities in the skilled trades is crucial to our long-term success and workforce training programs.”