09/27/2026
Tonight, PWSC graduate Hayden Packer returned to Spencer Heston’s Millwright class, this time as an alumnus, to share what he has learned since graduating and stepping into the industry.
Hayden graduated from PWSC in May 2026 with an Occupational Endorsement Certificate in Millwright. Just a few months later, he began a five-month internship with Hilcorp Alaska.
He worked a two-weeks-on, two-weeks-off schedule at a North Slope facility, with 12-hour workdays. His first day on the job was a little different from a traditional training experience.
“I walked into the facility and they’re doing a major overhaul,” Hayden said. “So they’re tearing apart this huge turbine, and I was kind of just thrown into it.”
At first, Hayden grabbed tools for the mechanics and learned where everything was. He was then paired with a mechanic mentor who showed him the equipment, maintenance processes and why the work mattered.
As the internship progressed, Hayden became more familiar with the equipment and began taking on more work himself while still being supervised as an intern.
“It was a wealth of knowledge,” he said.
The internship also gave Hayden the opportunity to show the crew what he could do. He got to know members of the overhaul team, demonstrated his work ethic and mechanical knowledge, and eventually learned there was a job opening.
He applied, met with the foreman and a few days later was offered the position.
Hayden will now work for CCI as a subcontractor supporting Hilcorp as a GMT with the overhaul crew. The crew travels to Hilcorp facilities for major mechanical projects, including tearing down and rebuilding turbines, working on compressor bundles, rebuilding pumps, motors and couplings, and other mechanical maintenance work.
For Hayden, the work builds directly on the skills he learned at PWSC and his previous mechanical experience in the U.S. Coast Guard.
“Everything Spencer taught us is coming in handy very, very often,” Hayden said.
And tonight, he got the chance to share that experience with students sitting in the same classroom where he once learned those skills.
For current students, having a graduate come back and talk about what happened after graduation makes the connection between the classroom and industry pretty real.
Hayden is now building his career in the field while also balancing life at home with his wife, Sydney, and their eight-month-old daughter, Halloway.
“Every time I come home, she’s doing something new,” he said. Halloway is now crawling, almost walking and recently took her first step.
From the U.S. Coast Guard, to PWSC, to an industry internship and now into a millwright career, Hayden is putting his training to work.
And tonight, he came back to share what he has learned along the way.
