Caleb says he has always like making things. When he was growing up, he did a lot of woodworking and welding at home. When he was 16, he decided to explore whether a career in manufacturing would be right for him. He landed an apprenticeship at Two Rivers Enterprises (TRE) in Holdingford, near his home.
“An apprenticeship is definitely a good way to find out what you want to do. You’re making money while you get to experience different sides of the business. At TRE I mainly got to run the laser, but I also got to see how a few different CNCs work and experience other parts of the operation as well.”
That exposure to different aspects of the business helped Caleb decide what he wanted to do after high school.
“I’m studying mechatronics, it’s a two-year program which is mechanical, pneumatic, hydraulic and electronic,” Caleb says about his educational track at Alexandria Technical and Community College. He received a $1,000 scholarship from Central Minnesota Manufacturers Association and a $500 scholarship from TRE to attend the program.
Caleb is in a college apprenticeship now at Aagard in Alexandria, where he gets to experience what work is like in programming controls and the mechanical side of building packaging automation systems. He’s not sure exactly what he wants to do yet after graduation – but he says he plans to stay in manufacturing likely somewhere in Central Minnesota.
- Learn more about TRE
- Learn about the Central Minnesota Manufacturers Association
- Find out about the Youth Apprenticeship Program
- Explore the Youth Skills Training in manufacturing, health care, agriculture and other fields
- Find contact information for a CareerForce location near you
