Trent Elliot, Eli Wahlgren, and Sam Lind work to repair small machines as part of the Lakes Area Youth Service Bureau Tried and True Small Engine program.
There is a new option for mechanically minded area high school students. The Lakes Area Youth Service Bureau has officially launched their Tried and True Small Engine repair program.
Housed in a space rented from Bee Line Towing Company in Wyoming, Tried and True is an effort to give students interested in engine repair a chance to get their hands on training from a professional while still in their formative years. The students work to repair small machines that have been donated with a plan to eventually sell the refurbished equipment and use the money to buy more tools to be used for the program. Jim Goserud of Goserud Service and Repair in Wyoming spends his Tuesday and Thursday afternoons from 3:30-6:30 p.m. teaching and mentoring the three students currently volunteering with Tried and True Engine Repair.
“Jim is the perfect mentor for these kids as he works in the industry every day,” said Matt Howard, LAYSB Community Justice Program director. “He is teaching and mentoring these kids on how to do the job right and with integrity, and he is also helping them to take pride in their work.”
Students interested in a three-month stint in the program are required to fill out an application and provide an essay explaining why they want to volunteer with Tried and True.
“Not every student is right for this program,” Howard said. “We want kids who have interest and also some aptitude. We want this to be a springboard for them into tech school and possibly a job.
We’re not necessarily taking any kid who wants to learn this trade, we are focusing on the kids who have already had a shop class and want to take it to that next level.”
Currently the students are working with 10 to 15 mowers, two or three snowblowers, five or six weed whips, and two leaf blowers. Howard estimates that 75 percent of the currently donated items are beyond repair and will be sold for scrap.
“We appreciate any donation, but what we are really hoping to focus the community’s attention on are small machines that can be refurbished and made to work again,” Howard said. “All we are looking for in our first year is to break even and be able to pay our rent and pay Jim (Goserud). Any money above and beyond that is filtered right back into the program.”
A new group of students will begin work in the shop on June 7, but the current class of mechanics in training will have an opportunity to move up into an apprentice position that will see them imparting the knowledge they gained from the program to the new groups of students.
“Our eventual goal is to be able to pay the students that graduate from the three-month program and choose to stay on as apprentices,” Howard said. “Right now, we are still working on building our fund balance, but it is something we plan to offer down the road.”
If you have questions about Tried and True Small Engines or would like more information, contact Howard with LAYSB at 651-464-3685 or Matt.Howard@ysblakesarea.org. Interested students ages 16 or older can apply to work with Tried and True Small Engine by visiting goo.gl/bWVg3I.