NMTech CEO Jodina Attao congratulated the graduates, saying “Without a tradesman or tradeswoman this very building we are in will not be standing.”
SIXTY-SIX students have completed their trades courses at the Northern Marianas Technical Institute, which held a graduation ceremony on Wednesday, Dec. 19 at the multipurpose center.
The graduates include nine automotive technology students; five baking and pastry students; 10 culinary arts students; 15 construction core students; two construction-carpentry students; two construction-craft laborer students; one construction-HVAC student; 13 construction-electrical students; and nine construction-welding students.
NMTech Chief Executive Officer Jodina Attao, in her remarks, reminded the graduates of the significance of their trades education.
“The certifications you now hold in your hands are not just pieces of paper. They represent the embodiment of hard work, perseverance, and the pursuit of excellence,” she said, adding, “without a tradesman or tradeswoman this very building we are in will not be standing.”
In his keynote address, Saipan Chamber of Commerce President Joe Guerrero shared that he employs three NMTech students at Naked Fish, the restaurant and bar which he owns.
“As graduates…you are now more equipped with the knowledge and skills necessary to enter the workforce in your chosen trade, or for some of you, to continue in advanced course work and training,” Guerrero said.
He recalled a conversation he had with the late businessman Tony Pelligrino, an advocate for trades education in the CNMI.
“I remember him looking at me straight in the eye and saying ‘Joe, I am not afraid to fail in business because I can always go back to cutting hair. Everyone needs a haircut.’ He went on to say ‘Joe, because of this I’m able to jump on business opportunities that others would otherwise pass on because they don’t have a skill to fall back on.’ ”
Guerrero said the CNMI needs more skilled workers and the new NMTech graduates are “an important and integral piece of our workforce puzzle.”
“Without trades education and training here at home, we will continue to over-rely on foreign workers and withhold true opportunities for our people,” Guerrero said.
One of the graduates, Joulourd Cepeda, said his education will help him at his job at the Commonwealth Utilities Corp., where he is a member of a line crew. His goal is to be a certified lineman for CUC.
66 students have graduated from the Northern Marianas Technical Institute.
Five baking and pastry students and 10 culinary arts students are part of the latest cohort of NMTech graduates.
