Tester tours Kicking Horse campus
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It isn’t very often a state senator visits the campus at Kicking Horse Jobs Corps. But Sen. Jon Tester set aside an hour to talk with students and administrators during a tour of the facility on Dec. 3.
“It’s big for us,” said center director Charles Camel. “(Senators) don’t get a lot of time to do a lot of things (like this tour).”
Camel recalled Senator Jon Tester calling three years ago to congratulate Kicking Horse for winning five national awards, including the most improved in Region Four. At that time, Camel invited Tester to visit Kicking Horse and then again when Tester toured the job corps facility in Anaconda in August. So Camel was delighted when Tester’s office called to set up a meeting.
Students, staff and community relation’s council members were in attendance as Tester toured the recreation hall, heavy equipment repair shop, dorm, gymnasium and cafeteria.
Tester had some concern when he learned that due to budget cuts the center’s total 224 training slots will be reduced to 178 and the program will decrease from nine to seven trades. The center will also change back to an all Native American enrollment, which has to do with the facility’s lease. Montana is home to three job centers located in Anaconda and Darby, in addition to Kicking Horse.
“This change was basically dictated to us; we tried to resist,” Camel said. He was pleased to hear that Tester backs the job corps’ mission.
“I don’t mind rattling cages,” Tester told the group before the tour. “If we are taking more opportunities away from kids…”
Earlier this year, House leadership passed a bill that tried to cut almost one billion from Job Corps funding. The House Appropriations Committee released the draft 2012 Labor, Health and Human Services funding bill on Sept. 29. The bill provides funding for programs in the Department of Labor, the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Education. The bill provides $10.4 billion, which is $2.6 billion below last year’s level and $2.4 billion below President Obama’s request. The bill provides $2.2 billion for Job Corps, which is $518 million above last year’s level. The increase is due to the change in funding structure; this funding will continue the program on a regular fiscal year schedule of 15 months instead of 12.
“It’s all about a well-trained work force and that’s what I’ve seen today,” Tester said after his visit. “Programs like these are critical to giving people a skill set … it’s a win-win situation for employers and employees.”
“It’s really great (Tester) came out and his team came out,” said Kicking Horse student and student body president KelseyAnne Tohdacheeny.
Originally from Farmington, N.M., Tohdacheeny is studying to become a certified nursing assistant with the hopes of pursing a degree as a certified medical assistant.
“You can’t do your job well if you don’t know the people,” she said.
