TRIBAL EMPLOYMENT RIGHTS OFFICE - BUILT TO LAST: CEMENT MASON TRAINING
Sept 15, 2026
Mille Lacs Band TERO participants join graduates from across Indian Country in completing a demanding career-training program.
By Vivian LaMoore, Inaajimowin Editor
Could you do it? Ten weeks. Five days a week. Seven hours a day. A mix of classroom learning, hands-on training and physical work designed to test both your skills and your determination. And throughout it all, you might find yourself asking: Can I do this? Is this what I want to do with my life? Is it worth it?
For the graduates of the 2026 Cement Masons/Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT)/Tribal 10-Week Training Program, the answer was yes.
Two Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe Tribal Employment Rights Office (TERO) participants - Virgil Benjamin and Dehlina Sam — successfully completed the intensive cement mason training this summer and were recognized at a graduation ceremony celebrating the accomplishments of Native participants from across Minnesota.
The program, offered through the Cement Masons, Plasterers & Shophands Local 633 Journeyman & Apprentice Training Trust Fund in partnership with MnDOT, is designed to introduce Native Americans from participating tribal nations to the cement mason trade and prepare them to qualify for union apprenticeships and work on MnDOT projects.
The 10-week program ran from May 26 through July 31 at the Cement Masons Local 633 JATC Training Center in New Brighton. Participants trained Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
And this was not a program where participants simply sat in a classroom. Training covered highway heavy industry, layout and setup, tool use, concrete repairs, construction math, work ethics, the chemistry of concrete and safety certifications, along with related technical and on-the-job training.
The program was also designed to remove some of the financial barriers that can make career training difficult to pursue. Funded through a $280,000 MnDOT grant, the training was provided at no cost to participants. Lodging was provided during the training session, weekly stipends were available through the participating Tribes and TERO programs, and the tools needed to begin a career as a cement mason were provided.
Participants also have the opportunity to receive assistance with job placement through Local 633 contractors throughout Minnesota.
In other words, graduates walked away with more than a certificate. They completed training designed to give them a pathway into a skilled trade.
For Benjamin and Sam, that accomplishment was celebrated by their Mille Lacs Band community.
Chief Executive Virgil Wind attended the graduation ceremony and offered words of encouragement to the tribal participants. The Mille Lacs Band Singers Drum Group also performed before the ceremony, adding a cultural and community connection to the celebration.
Following the ceremony, Chief Executive Wind and TERO staff presented Benjamin and Sam with the plaques they earned through the program.
Members of the Mille Lacs Band TERO Commission also attended, including Chairperson Cheryl Miller, Vice-Chairperson Matt Hatfield and Commissioner Lana Oswaldson, along with TERO Compliance Officer Scott Tossey.
The 2026 graduating class included participants representing several tribal nations. Class of 2026 included: Dalton Santa, Boise Forte Band of Chippewa; Charles Houle Jr. Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior; James Gouge', Anthony Sharlow, Dakota Thayer-Miller, Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, Sean Gotchie, Timothy Smith Ill, Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe; Virgil Benjamin, Dehlina Sam, Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe; Sewell Keezer-Dow Jr., Billy Jack Schoenborn Jr., Red Lake Nation; Dominic Butcher, White Earth Nation.
For those who made it through all 10 weeks, the accomplishment represents something that cannot simply be handed to you.
Every win was earned.
And sometimes the most important step toward a new career is simply deciding not to quit today.
