Helena High Schoolers Get Hands-On Trades Experience

Winter Trades Day event sparks interest in construction, manufacturing, and other skilled trades

Published on Feb. 25, 2026

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Helena Public Schools hosted a Winter Trades Day event, giving high school students the opportunity to explore various skilled trade careers through hands-on demonstrations and simulations. Over 100 students attended the showcase, which featured stations covering welding, electrical, plumbing, HVAC, flooring, carpentry, cabinet making, sheetrock work, and heavy equipment operation.

Why it matters

The event aims to spark interest in trades careers, which are in high demand in Montana and offer competitive wages, especially as automation threatens some jobs. By providing hands-on learning, the showcase helps students discover new potential career paths they may not have previously considered.

The details

At the fairgrounds, students rotated through 10 different trade stations, getting the chance to try out skills like welding, plumbing, and operating heavy equipment simulators. The event was designed to give students a realistic preview of what these jobs entail beyond just reading about them in a textbook. Organizers hope to expand the showcase next year to get more young people interested in pursuing in-demand skilled trades.

  • The Winter Trades Day event took place on Tuesday, February 25, 2026.
  • Organizers plan to run the event again next year.

The players

McKenna Michalson

A Capital High School sophomore who enjoyed the hands-on learning experience and discovered new trades she was interested in, beyond just woodworking.

Jaston Scott

A Capital High School junior who had never participated in an event like Winter Trades Day before, but found it a good opportunity to explore potential career options.

Tom Kain

A carpentry teacher at Capital High School and the organizer of the Winter Trades Day event.

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What they’re saying

“I love learning about this and a hands-on experience, it's fun.”

— McKenna Michalson, Capital High School Sophomore (ktvh.com)

“I've never done anything like that before, so I mean it was good to just check it out and see what it's about.”

— Jaston Scott, Capital High School Junior (ktvh.com)

“It's kind of changing that it's a good thing to work with your hands, you know, especially this world of AI. The trades are kind of AI-proof, and there's always gonna be somebody needed to hang sheet rock and plumb a house and weld, so this is an opportunity for the students to try it.”

— Tom Kain, Capital High School Carpentry Teacher and Trades Day Organizer (ktvh.com)

What’s next

Organizers say they plan to run the Winter Trades Day event again next year, looking to expand the number of trade workers represented and the number of students who can participate.

The takeaway

By providing hands-on, immersive experiences in skilled trades, the Winter Trades Day event helps high school students discover new potential career paths they may not have previously considered, especially as automation threatens some jobs. The showcase aims to spark interest in in-demand, well-paying trades that are resistant to AI and technological disruption.