R. R. Branstrom | Daily Press Eighth-graders at Escanaba High School test their hammering skills under the eye of Ryan Stern, field representative for the Michigan Building and Construction Trades Council.

ESCANABA — During a career fair at Escanaba High School this week, exhibitors from businesses, the military and continuing education centers set up approximately 50 booths in the gymnasium to encourage students to consider paths for their futures.

The same organizations participated in a career fair in Gladstone last week for students from Gladstone, Rapid River, Mid Peninsula and Big Bay schools. Kids from North Central, Hannahville, Holy Name, Escanaba, and home-schooling attended the one at Escanaba.

Both events — which entertained about 1,500 students overall — were organized by the Delta County College Access Network (DCCAN) in cooperation with Delta Schoolcraft Intermediate School District (ISD) and the Community Foundation, according Michael Roland, DCCAN director and Career and Technical Education Center (CTE) supervisor.

“Research shows the earlier and the more you can expose students to college and career opportunities, the better off they are for planning and getting those ideas planted,” said Roland.

Most of the organizations at the fair are based or have locations in the Upper Peninsula; some came from Wisconsin or downstate.

“The other focus is advertising the U.P. because — I graduated from Escanaba; I never knew there was all this stuff here,” said Roland. “A lot of people leave the U.P. not knowing what’s in their backyard. And you look around at the organizations we have here — there’s a lot of incredible companies and incredible schools right in the kids’ backyard that they can find out about.”

Many trades may be learned on the job. Additionally, many employers these days will pay for training if their people wish to seek further education in ways that will benefit their work. It’s a way of investing in the younger generation — or even those who wish to change careers with no experience in a new industry — with the hope that staffing issues may become a thing of the past.

With VanEnkevort Tug & Barge, an entry-level position is a deckhand, said Human Resources Crewing Associate Chelsea Flynn.

“You come in with zero days of experience, just with a Coast Guard physical and a background check, and you’re gonna start around 65,000 annually, fully-benefited, employer-paid, for yourself and your dependents,” Flynn said. “The nice thing about the industry is we pay for your tuition reimbursement for you to better yourself.”

She explained that when someone starts out of high school as a deckhand and takes an interest in work other crewmates doing — whether it be charting maps or working in the engine room — VanEnkevort can see to it that that person gets to officer’s school or engineering school.

“The Soo Locks freeze up in the winter and we don’t sail during that time, so we can schedule you to go to school during that time. We’ll work with you to find the coverage to better your education, you know, with the hopes that you’re gonna come back and continue to sail with us,” said Flynn. “And overall, just the Great Lakes — it’s local, it’s your Michigan economy. And so all of the industries kind of work together and feel that way… It’s all very much a tight-knit community.”

Some students are already paving their futures.

Emily LaFave is a senior at Bark River-Harris who simultaneously takes classes at CTE in Escanaba and is employed at VanAire in Gladstone through an apprenticeship program. At VanAire, she works using a computer numerical control (CNC) machine with skills she learned from CTE Machining Instructor Darrell Mullins.

“I took his class, and that is where he taught me the CNC machines and some of our manual machines,” said LaFave. “At first I wanted to do welding, but the class ended up being full. So that’s when I switched over to machining and felt the love for it.”

LaFave’s current trajectory involves one more year at college following her final year at high school. That five-year plan means that she will graduate in 2025 with a high school diploma and a certificate in mechatronics.

Representatives from Billerud, the paper mill in Escanaba which employs between 800 and 900 people locally, were also at the career fair.

“We’re one of the largest employers,” said Gerald Kell, who is the president of the United Steelworkers (USW) union and works as an operator in the refiner mechanical pulp (RMP) mill. As a fully-integrated mill on 2,200 acres, Billerud’s Escanaba plant has jobs in a range of areas. There are heavy equipment operators, welders, electricians, plumbers, engineers, office workers and more.

“It’s kind of like a community inside of a community,” said Kell.

While the mill’s ownership has changed hands several times in recent years, Kell said that under Billerud, which is based in Sweden, it’s a great place to work.

“They’re very much about environmental responsibility, which comes from their culture. They’re much more worker-friendly. And they’re invested in the long term,” Kell said of the company. He said that last year, the union finalized a five-year agreement with Billerud that passed with “almost unprecedented” speed and efficiency.

At the booth for Elmer’s County Market — which said they aim to be the “friendliest, best-operated store in the community” — Linda Peterson said that the local Escanaba business retains a great number of their employees.

“The majority of our full-time staff has been there for probably 30, 40 years,” said Peterson. People may enter into a role with or without a degree, and there is a ladder that may be climbed over time.

“We actually have two gentlemen on our staff right now that were — in the last year — just both promoted to managers that started bagging groceries with us when they were 16,” said Peterson.