Learning Opportunities

Lemonade Day – open to any students in grades K-8 in Flathead County

Youth entrepreneurship is nurtured and encouraged through this structured opportunity for Flathead County youth in grades K-8 to learn about finance, marketing, site selection, product development, and management through the vehicle of a lemonade stand. 

Discover Kalispell Chamber celebrated its fourth year in 2023 of bringing this national program to Kalispell. We encourage teachers to share this fun, skills-building opportunity with their students and their parents.  More detailed information can be found on the following link: www.lemonadeday.org/flathead– 2024 program information will be announced in fall of 2023. Reach out to Jenn Cronk at [email protected] or 406-758-2801 for more information about the progrma. Thank you to our Main Squeeze presenting sponsor, Three Rivers Bank of Kalispell, for helping to make this year’s Lemonade Day possible!

Pursuing the Trades – Grades 11-12 

Pursuing the Trades is a career exploration program initiated by Flathead High School, growing to include Glacier High School and Bigfork High School, and developed in partnership with Flathead Valley Community College, Discover Kalispell Chamber, and local manufacturers.  The program launched in 2019 with Flathead High School, expanded in 2020 to include Glacier High School, and in 2023 to include Bigfork High School as well.  Between the three high schools, approximately 140-160 sophomores to seniors studying in trade areas have had the opportunity to spend a full day each year exploring trades careers in the Flathead Valley.  Half of the day provides hands-on experiences in a variety of trades programs at Flathead Valley Community College.  The other half of the day provides students the opportunity to see how high school and college trades educations can lead to careers in manufacturing through visits to local manufacturers. 

Business hosts are able to showcase their areas of manufacturing to students, providing students with a first-hand understanding of how their education experiences can lead to trade career opportunities here in the Flathead Valley.  

As part of the Chamber’s work to help build the pipeline of talent within our community, bringing these students to FVCC and businesses helps students to better understand the connection between their current high school areas of study, further education opportunities at FVCC, and how their education through high school and beyond can combine to position them well to be qualified for great opportunities in skilled trades career here in the Flathead.

2023 Pursuing the Trades Recap

158 registered students

7 participating businesses

14 business tours at manufacturers

2022 Pursuing the Trades Recap 

  • # of students:  45 Flathead High School; 49 Glacier High School 
  • # of selections for breakout sessions at FVCC: 10 
  • # of manufacturers visited: 3 
  • # of manufacturer student impressions created: 188 

Stay tuned to this page for more information on future Pursuing the Trades information. 

Summer Jobs Program – students/youth ages 16-19 

WorkForce Flathead is happy to continue to partner with AJAY to bring the Summer Jobs Program to the Flathead Valley this year. Originally piloted in Helena, this program provides a summer internship program complemented by essential skills training for youth ages 16-19.  For more information about this program, click here.

Career/Job Fairs

Each Spring and Fall, the Job Fair Team (FVCC, JobService Kalispell, Discover Kalispell Chamber, Daily Inter Lake) organize community job fairs hosted at the Flathead County Fairgrounds. The spring fair includes an emphasis on career exploration in the morning for high school students and job fair in the afternoon for the community; the fall job fair includes veteran services along with a job fair. Students are welcome to attend both spring and fall fairs to meet with employers, learn about after school/summer jobs/post-graduation employment and also any internships or apprenticeships. The Fall job fair averages 70+ employers and the spring over 120. It’s a great opportunity for students to learn more about the companies and careers here in the Flathead.

The Fall 2023 Job Fair is Tuesday, September 26th from 2pm – 7pm at the Flathead County Fairgrounds Trade Center (the big building on your left when you turn in off Meridian in Kalispell. The job fair is FREE for the community to attend.