Salida businesses help local teens find their future through CMC program

Well over 100 Salida-area teens have learned first-hand what they might want to be after high school graduation through a work-based learning incentive program at Colorado Mountain College Salida. The college participated in a statewide $3 million effort through the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment to provide high-quality work-based learning experiences.

Jaidi Fryer, project manager for Colorado Succeeds, noted the Salida area had very strong programming and business engagement.

The Colorado Department of Labor and Employment worked with Colorado Succeeds as one of five intermediaries administering funds to employers, along with the Arvada Chamber of Commerce, the Fort Collins Area Chamber, the Grand Junction Chamber of Commerce, and the Colorado Restaurant Association.

Twelve local businesses received a total of $83,655 to support the work-based program’s experiences, including but not limited to paying students. Colorado Succeeds strategically focused on rural employers and disseminated a total of $400,000 to businesses across the state, Fryer added.

Fred Maxwell, instructional coordinator and internship program instructor at CMC Salida, said that since 2022, over 130 Salida-area businesses agreed to work with students. He called the money provided by the program a great help with business recruitment.

One of those business owners is Scott Schueler of Six Line Metalworks. He teaches student interns welding, metallurgy, blueprint reading, weld defects and basic fabrication math. Schueler said the program encouraged him to work on opening a welding trade school for the local area.

Maxwell — a former longtime Salida High School teacher — called the program "the most powerful work I have ever been involved in with young people."

Maxwell said, "I see an ownership to a high standard, a commitment to learning and an extreme sense of pride from students who engage with the opportunities available with this program. That includes:
- a future med student being in the room when a baby is born
- a construction student seeing the house sell that he helped build
- an aspiring real estate agent showing her first house
- and a future politician sitting at a table with local county commissioners, mayor and even representatives from the state capitol."

Kendall Shaffer was interested in a law career and interned at the Cutler Law Office. "It made me second guess some things but also helped me realize whether lawyer or not, I still want to study law," she said. "A personal lesson I took away from this experience was that being a lawyer isn’t gonna be easy and I need to work hard for it and even work hard while being one."

Eli Smith did his internship at Rocky Mountain Cylinder Heads. Unsure what area of mechanical engineering he wanted to study, he said, "The idea of going into some kind of automotive design or research was reinforced. I am now attending Colorado School of Mines for mechanical engineering and, in my later years, I plan to take the automotive design track."

Delia Diminio was an intern at Lotic Salon, whose owner has a background in interior design, an area of interest for Diminio. The experience changed her mind, something she appreciated. "Thankfully, I took the opportunity to explore the field before making any major decisions, because I’ve come to realize I’d rather study something science-related than art-related," she stated.

Participating businesses:
- Chip Cutler, Cutler Law Office
- Julie Mach, Elements Compost
- Dave Curtis, 50 West Film Productions
- Heather Barron, Luminous Life Coaching
- Scott Schueler, Six Line Metalworks
- Zech Papp, Salida Airport

Additional businesses: 
- Lotic Salon
- Woodland Hotel
- Mojos Restaurant
- Salida Clinic
- Rocky Mountain Cylinder Heads
- Salida Early Childhood Center

Student interns: 
- Macy Matthews, internship at Salida Clinic
- Kendall Shaffer, internship at Cutler Law Office
- Eli Smith, internship at Rocky Mountain Cylinder Heads
- Delia Diminio, internship at Lotic Salon
- Luke Clanton, internship at Mojos Eatery
- Dane Bennett, internship at Six Line Metalworks