Nestled in the vast and remote landscape of northwest Alaska, Nome serves as the hub for the Northwestern Alaska Career and Technical Center (NACTEC), an organization dedicated to workforce development and career exploration for students across 15 rural villages. With a region spanning over 80,000 square miles, NACTEC’s mission is to equip students with the skills, confidence, and exposure they need to succeed in careers that drive Alaska’s economy.
NACTEC is not just about training; it’s about connection—connecting students to careers, employers to a workforce, and rural communities to economic opportunities. As a Department of Labor-funded Regional Training Center in Alaska, NACTEC’s programs are designed to introduce students to career paths they might never have considered while also meeting the workforce demands of local industries.
However, workforce development in rural Alaska comes with unique challenges. Limited access to training facilities, understaffed CTE instructors, harsh weather, and the necessity of flying students in and out of Nome make traditional hands-on learning difficult. That’s why NACTEC has built one of the most extensive training centers in the region, housing an impressive collection of simulators, including CatSim Caterpillar simulators, flight simulators, driving simulators, and ITI’s crane simulators.
NACTEC is the result of a powerful collaboration between the Bering Strait School District, Nome Public Schools, and the City of Nome. These groups, along with industry partners, have joined forces to provide students, many from villages with populations as small as 40 people, with hands-on career training opportunities they wouldn’t otherwise have.
“Students are flying in 100 to 150 miles in any direction to come into Nome for career training,” explains Doug Walrath, NACTEC’s Director. “With only two career and technical education teachers for the entire Bering Strait School District, bringing students together in a centralized location is critical.”
NACTEC has long recognized the value of simulation training for both career exploration and practical skills, such as driver education. However, with major infrastructure projects like the $600 million federally funded deep-draft port in Nome on the horizon, the demand for skilled workers in heavy equipment operation, crane operation, and rigging is rapidly growing. To meet this rising need and ensure students are prepared for these lucrative careers, NACTEC partnered with ITI and Simformotion to integrate crane and heavy equipment simulators into its programs, providing students with the hands-on experience required to succeed in these critical fields.
“Our region is seeing a surge in opportunities in construction, mining, and maritime industries,” says Walrath. “Having ITI’s VR Crane Simulator allows us to introduce students to a critical skill set that will be in demand for years to come.”
NACTEC currently has two types of ITI VR Crane Simulators: A motion-based crane simulator that stays in Nome, providing realistic training for students in long-term residential programs, and a portable desktop simulator, which is packed into Pelican cases and flown to remote villages, allowing students to explore crane operation without leaving their communities.
In addition to the simulators, NACTEC also invested in ITI’s rigging curriculum. Through a collaborative and creative effort, ITI and CatSim intertwined their products to deliver a solution tailored to NACTEC’s needs, culminating in the launch of an in-person basic rigging and inspection program.
“We may not be crane experts ourselves, but we have the resources and partnerships to bring in the right people,” says Walrath.
Before stepping into real machinery, the crane and other heavy equipment simulators help students familiarize themselves with controls and operations. This hands-on exposure is invaluable for students from villages where they may have never seen a crane before.
Given the vast distances between villages and Nome, NACTEC doesn’t just wait for students to come to them—it delivers training through village-based programs.
Using portable desktop simulators, instructors load equipment, fly into remote villages, and set up on-site training programs. This mobile approach allows dozens of middle- and high-school-aged students to experience career exploration, often sparking an interest in construction, mining, aviation, and healthcare roles early on.
“We do week-long training sessions in the villages, where we might see 40 to 60 students,” says CTE instructor Chris Paskvan. “They get to try out the crane simulator, and for many of them, it’s the first time they’ve even seen this kind of equipment.”
By introducing middle and high school students to crane operations early, NACTEC is planting the seed for future careers. Many students who engage with the simulators in their home villages later travel to Nome for residential training, where they get more in-depth, hands-on experience with the ITI VR Crane Simulator and real-world equipment.
“We’re not a finishing school—we’re an entry point,” says Walrath. “Our job is to introduce students to career paths they never knew existed, then give them the tools to take the next step.”
Overcoming Workforce Challenges in Rural Alaska
Training the next generation of skilled workers in northwest Alaska presents unique challenges. Unlike urban centers, where students can drive to training centers, students in remote villages rely on small commuter flights to reach Nome.
With only two CTE teachers serving 15 villages, NACTEC must be strategic in how it delivers training. Simulators help bridge this gap by allowing students to receive high-quality, standardized instruction without needing an instructor physically present at all times.
NACTEC is also addressing another critical workforce barrier: transportation.
“Many of our students don’t have access to cars,” explains Walrath. “Many have never even driven a vehicle because their villages rely on ATVs, snow machines, or boats for transportation.”
That’s why, in addition to heavy equipment simulation training, NACTEC offers driver education programs featuring a driving simulator.
“Getting a driver’s license is step one for many careers,” says Paskvan. “Whether you’re a heavy equipment operator, a truck driver, or a healthcare worker, you must be able to drive.”
NACTEC’s simulation-based training isn’t just about skill-building—it’s about job placement. Thanks to partnerships with local employers like Bering Straits Native Corporation, the Alaska Department of Transportation, and nearby employers, students are directly connected to career opportunities.
A gold mine just 350 yards from NACTEC’s student dormitory recently saw this training in action when a 15-year-old student stepped into a real excavator after practicing on one of Simformotion’s Caterpillar simulators. “He recognized the machine from NACTEC and started running it without hesitation,” says Walrath. “That’s how powerful the transfer of learning is with this training.”
Becoming a skilled heavy equipment operator requires thousands of hours of experience—far more than NACTEC’s short training cycles allow. However, simulators accelerate the learning process, giving students a strong foundation in a fraction of the time.
To further support hands-on training, NACTEC has invested in a full range of crane controllers and partners with industry experts to provide instruction.
Empowering Adult Learners: Preparing Alaskans for Heavy Construction Careers
NACTEC’s upcoming adult heavy construction course is designed to provide hands-on workforce training for rural Alaskans without access to traditional training programs. In partnership with Kawerak, Inc., a regional Native nonprofit, Northern Industrial Training (NIT), and Bering Straits Native Corporation, the program will fly in trainees from remote villages and give them structured, skills-based instruction. Participants will spend two days in NACTEC’s simulation center using ITI’s crane simulators, along with CatSim’s excavator, loader, grader, dozer, and mining truck simulators, before transitioning to three days of live equipment training with an NIT instructor. This blended approach allows trainees to build foundational skills in a controlled environment before stepping into real-world scenarios with equipment provided by Stampede Ventures.
The success of last year’s program underscores the impact of simulation-based training. Many participants secured jobs immediately, including two hired at a local gravel pit—one as a mechanic and the other as a load operator. With the same training model in place, this year’s program is expected to produce similar results, proving that ITI’s VR Crane Simulators and hands-on learning experiences are critical for preparing workers for Alaska’s high-demand construction and infrastructure jobs.
This structured training approach—beginning with simulation, advancing to hands-on experience, and leading to job placement—shapes Alaska’s future workforce. As demand for skilled crane and rigging professionals grows, ITI’s VR Crane Simulator is crucial in preparing students for these jobs, ensuring they have the skills to step directly into the workforce.
The success of NACTEC’s programs is reflected in the student success stories that span from young learners to adults. “Our employer partners consistently tell us that the students they hire are the ones who came through NACTEC’s training programs,” says Walrath. By offering training from the 5th-grade level through adult education, NACTEC is shaping a workforce that spans generations, empowering youth and adults to thrive in their careers and contribute to their local communities.
For students in northwest Alaska, the path to a career is uniquely shaped by innovative training, community partnerships, and cutting-edge technology like ITI’s VR Crane Simulator. NACTEC proudly watches its students evolve, from as young as 10 years old to adulthood, and grow into professionals who work and impact their communities.
By making career training accessible, providing hands-on experience, and bridging the gap between education and employment, NACTEC is building a solid foundation for Alaska’s future workforce—one student at a time.