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Metro Omaha Trade Invitational gives Omaha area trades students their time to shine: 'The sky's the limit...'

Posted at 6:24 PM, Jan 27, 2023
and last updated 2023-01-28 17:38:17-05

OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — Dozens of area high school and college students took part in Friday’s Metro Omaha Trade Invitational, where they got to see who’s the best at trade skills like carpentry, automotive, machining, and welding.

"As soon as I started welding, I kinda felt like I excelled at that better than anything else," said Trevor Elliot, a Gretna High School senior. "Competition’s always fun, having to prove yourself that you can weld and compete with other people."

The MOTI gives students that real-world hands-on experience in the trades, but in the automotive program they take it a step further.

Advanced students in the program fix up a car to donate to someone in need.

"When the hair literally stands up on your neck and the students that repaired the vehicle hand the keys over to that recipient, it really does something to me as an instructor," said Automotive Instructor Joseph Baker.

For the instructors, it’s not about whether the students win or lose, it’s about what they learn and where it can take them.

“[I've seen] students working for Boeing, for NASA, to students working on titanium bikes for high-end companies," said Chris Beatty, the welding instructor. "The sky’s the limit.”