MISSOULA — Summit Career Center aims to help students learn skills to reach their goals, for work and for life. Since 2020, the faith-based nonprofit has provided tuition-free career training to adults 18 and up in the Bitterroot and Missoula Valleys.
“We really stress with the people in our program that your past does not define you,” said Gigi Nitzberg, Summit Career Center’s director of operations. “It is important to acknowledge, so that you can move forward, but it doesn't define you and it certainly doesn't have to dictate your future.”
(WATCH: Summit Career Center is looking to kickstart careers for more Bitterroot and Missoula Valley adults)
Summit Career Center (SCC) offers six-month professional training programs for adults of all ages and backgrounds, whether they just graduated high school or are looking to get back into the workforce after setbacks like addiction.
“We help students, motivated students, really identify barriers that have stood in the way of them getting off the hamster wheel of going from job to job to job, making a wage that they can't live on,” Nitzberg said. “We are a great place for them to really figure out what that next step could be.”
Currently, SCC is looking to recruit more recent high school graduates who are looking for alternatives to college.
“There's a lot of graduates that aren't able to go to college. Maybe they can't afford it. Maybe they aren't able because they need to work right away to help support their family,” said executive director Jacqueline Stevens. “This is a great opportunity for them to get into a career, especially without that high college bill.”
The program is broken into three phases, focusing on personal development, job-specific training and, then, finding a job. To graduate, students must get a full-time job.
“There are a lot of great, free job training and certification programs available, but what sets us apart is really that personal and professional development piece, because we have learned it's not enough just to give someone a certification and send them on their way,” Nitzberg said.
Students get individualized support at SCC facilities in Stevensville and Missoula. They are given help with resumes and prepping for interviews, as well as gaining skills through online programs and on-the-job training.
Current student Kyler Feathers said he has enjoyed his time at SCC so far, and has met great people through the program.
“It’s a good experience. It's very helpful in the things that I want to do,” he said. “I'm going for auto repair tech, so I'll be working on cars and stuff like that.”
Other available career tracks include medicine, construction, cybersecurity and more.
“We provide training for jobs that are currently available in the market,” said co-founder Myla Yahraus. “We’ve gained a reputation for the graduates being great, reliable employees, so we've succeeded with that both in Missoula and the Bitterroot Valley.”
When students graduate, SCC staff said they hope they take a lot more than job-specific skills with them.
“When they leave our program, they are not the same person that walked in the door six months ago,” Nitzberg said. “I don't even know how to describe, it it just it's so wonderful to be able to witness people blossoming and realizing those wonderful things about themselves and the potential that they have.”
Currently, SCC is looking for students for their next session. They will be accepting applications through August 17th.
Feathers is already looking ahead to his career after the program. He is working part-time at an auto shop and, once he graduates SCC in September, will be working full-time.
“They gave me the tools to learn what I should expect when I go into and do my own research and look things up. Having that extra little bit of knowledge definitely helps in a situation where I'm going into a new field entirely and super nervous about that, so it's given me great tools to use,” he said. “I just think everybody that finds out about this should give it a chance if they want to learn something new.”
