Five Skies training program celebrates Ashland graduates

Program prepares job seekers for career success

July 13, 2023

It was the beautiful afternoon of a warm June day in Ashland, Wisconsin, as family and friends gathered to celebrate the latest group of graduates of the Five Skies Empowerment Training Program.

“I think we’ve all experienced something in our lives where we woke up one day and said, ‘I’ve got to make a change,’ ” said Nick Kedrowski of Oneida Nation, a founding partner and owner of Five Skies Training, a 100% Native owned small business that specializes in providing trainings tailored to opportunities in Indian Country, and in the case of empowerment training, specifically forging futures for graduates in construction. “Our Five Skies Empowerment program is designed to help be a career pathway into the trades.”

“Nick and I always say that we want to strive to make everybody’s life better than it was yesterday,” said Nyree Kedrowski of Ho-Chunk Nation, who founded Five Skies Training with her husband in 2018.  “We start out working on self. The first component is mending broken hearts. We deal with a lot of intergenerational traumas, grief, loss, and here are the tools we’re going to give you to get through that.”

Past students say it is this step that helped them heal and focus on a better future. “You had to take a good look at yourself, and you had to let go of some of these things that you’re hanging onto from the past,” said Joel Boshey, a graduate of Five Skies Empowerment Training and member of Laborers’ Local 1091.

“I really, really, enjoyed the mending broken hearts. You have to deal with all those traumas, cause if you don’t it’s going to hold you back,” said Katie Bugg, also a graduate of the Five Skies program and member of Laborers’ Local 1091.

“It’s amazing to see how people grow as they go through this program, and then see their success as they get into a career,” said Paul Eberth, Enbridge’s U.S. Director of Tribal Engagement. Enbridge funded this four-week training, and many others previously. “Once we start building the Line 5 Relocation Project our contractors will be looking for hundreds of union workers with the right skills. Enbridge has committed to Native Americans filling at least 10% of the project workforce. Training like what Five Skies offers helps people get ready for opportunities in the trades now, and in the future.”

Graduates find many opportunities

Ashland graduates of this last four-week empowerment training program are all Native American and Tribally enrolled. Five Skies Training helps job seekers build the right skills and connect to the construction trades.

“Preparing them as a whole person as opposed to ‘we’re just going to teach you how to do this job.’ The elements that we incorporate into our program include really the core components that every employer is going to be looking for,” added Nick, who also talked about how job seekers work on sharpening critical thinking skills right along with gaining essentials like the OSHA 30 and First Aid/CPR certification.  

Five Skies offers job seekers opportunities to meet contractors and union members who provide insight into what “a day in the life” looks like for people in various jobs. A typical day might look very different for a laborer versus a machine operator or a welder’s helper.

“We have contractors and then the unions themselves come in and explain benefits. Contractors talk about their companies and what they offer, and what they can expect if they go to work at a jobsite,” said Nyree.

“They get to come in and say this is what it’s like to work in my field. If you’re interested, now here’s the pathways to do it,” added Nick.

“I never even knew of the laborers’ union. I never knew of the operators or the pipefitters. And then with the Five Skies class you just picked what best fit you,” said Brian Stillday Jr., a Five Skies graduate and member of Laborers’ Local 1091.

“When I first started working, I was just so proud of myself. You know I’m 47, 48 years old and I’m doing construction, and I hope it inspires other Native women to, you know, be willing to take that step,” said Melissa Greensky, also a Five Skies graduate and proud member of Laborers’ Local 1091.

“I have two books with the Pipeliners 798. I have my Laborers’ 1091 book,” added Ashley Diver, another proud Five Skies graduate.

“I work with Lakehead Constructors as a laborer at the Superior refinery,” said Chris Petite, Five Skies graduate and member of Laborers’ Local 1091. “I love where I’m at. I love the people I work with.”

“I worked on the pipeline. I did jobs for the reservations. But I think I may have found my calling in highway heavy work,” added Stillday. “With all the bridges going up there I can point to some of them and say, ‘I helped put that up.’ ”

“I’m a Laborer out of 1091. All these opportunities I created for showing up every day, and all the people around me get the best version of me,” said Joel.

To learn more about the next Five Skies Training opportunities in the area, please visit the Five Skies website.