Bairco hosts hands-on field trip for LHS students

There’s nothing quite like practical experience when it comes to learning a trade, and Lovell High School vocational teacher Bret George has found a willing partner in Devin Bair and his crew at Bairco Construction.
George is teaching heavy equipment operation to students in his Auto Mechanics 3 course through the Northwest College Center for Training and Development, a concurrent enrollment program that will give students who complete the course an industry certification.
NWC-CTD provides the curriculum, and George teaches the course.
George took three of his students – seniors Michael Harris, Trinity Heinrich and Logan Spanier – to Bairco for a hands-on field trip on Friday, Dec. 15, where the students were able to operate a large loader at the company west of Lovell under the direction of Bairco co-owner Bair.
“Devin graciously gave us a field day to give them field experience operating heavy equipment,” George said.
Next semester, in Auto Mech 3, the eight students in the class will go through a complete CDL program and by the end of the semester will have met the requirements to pass their CDL test to operate commercial vehicles. George has had a CDL for 30 years so is well positioned to teach the course.
Other students in the course with Harris, Heinrich and Spanier are Dillon Johnston, Riley Laffin, James and Morgan Love and Jack Wardell.
“This is something I’d love to see more of – students receiving industry certification to become more career ready,” George said.