What if you could finish half of college
in high school?
·
By JEREMY JONES
jones@hutchinsonleader.com
Nov 2, 2016
·
Staff photo by Jeremy
Jones
U.S. Sen. Al Franken’s staff visited the
Hutchinson Area Chamber of Commerce and Tourism this past Thursday to speak
with local educators and business leaders about their plans to connect students
to careers by adding more
Some say the best way
to learn is to do.
It seems Hutchinson
High School may take that to heart. Business leaders, representatives from
Ridgewater College and Hutchinson School District educators met with staff of
U.S. Sen. Al Franken this past Thursday, and laid out plans to build a
connection between students and job openings in the area. Among those plans is
the intent to create a business within Hutchinson High School called Tiger
Manufacturing.
“It’s going to make
real products for real customers,” said Miles Seppelt, Hutchinson’s economic
development director.
With the school’s
upcoming career and technical education facility slated for completion by this
time next year, its sections — automotive, woods, machining, robotics and
manufacturing, and computer drafting — may each play a part in the business.
Students interested in information technology can contribute as well, as the
business will need a website, and students in the school’s business academy can
help with human resources and interviews.
The products to be
manufactured haven’t been nailed down yet, as the concept is still being
designed, but work may include cabinetry, welding jobs, screen printing and
similar projects.
“It’s not going to be
like a business. It’s going to be a real business,” Seppelt said. “They’re
going to make real products, sell to real customers.”
That means students
will need to form a board, and provide leadership.
“It’s going to add
relevance to their course work,” Seppelt said. “There will be no more ‘Why do I
need to learn this?’”
Hutchinson High School
Principal Patrick Walsh said that such a program will likely take shape in the
2018-2019 school year, when staff and students will have had time to
familiarize themselves with the new technical education space and the evolving
school building, and form a plan among contributing departments.
Tiger Manufacturing
represents one of many ways Hutchinson students are witnessing a shift toward
career-oriented education, and a bond between the schools, local businesses and
Ridgewater College.
Seppelt said interest
has grown because many students still seek four- and six-year degrees, while
jobs that call for two-year degrees or certifications account for the majority
of open positions. He said the trend is national, but he sees the need for
skilled workers locally as well.
When visiting local
manufacturers, “They ask me if I have five people with me because they’ll hire
them right now,” Seppelt said.
In the past few years,
Hutchinson High School began offering TigerPath, where students can take
classes of increasing difficulty and explore the skills and experiences of
various careers. Business leaders have teamed up with the school by seeking to
add internship and mentorship opportunities. Engineers employed by local
manufacturers regularly help out with school events, such as STEAM Family Night
at West Elementary, and with extracurricular actives such as the Robotics Club.
More than 100 students are enrolled in a welding class at Hutchinson High
School this year.
When the school
district needed a knowledgeable welder to fill in for three months, 3M donated
the time of an employee.
“That’s the kind of
support we have in the community,” said Superintendent Daron VanderHeiden.
Daryl Lundin, a
technical education teacher, said the ties between manufacturers and the school
district have given him more chances to see what those businesses do, and what
skills they need.
“If you don’t get out
to the business, manufacturing community, it’s hard to know if what you are
doing is serving students,” he said. “(The partnership) helps with that.”
District 423 and
Ridgewater College want to strengthen existing ties as well. Many students use
the Post-Secondary Enrollment Option to take college classes, and high school
shop classes are invited to use college facilities. Jeff Smith, a technical
education teacher at Hutchinson High School, said the chance to use more modern
equipment at Ridgewater builds excitement for him, and the staff.
“It allows me to take
my excitement, our excitement, and turn it over to the kids,” Smith said. “If
they see the teacher is excited, they get excited.”
Many students take
PSEO and advanced-placement classes for college credit. Franken’s staff were told
that by aligning curriculum between Ridgewater and District 423, educators can
give students more options to get an early start on credits that are expensive
after high school. Walsh said some students already take advantage of
“articulation agreements,” which allow college credit in Ridgewater for
specific work in the high school. Students who take drafting one, two and three
are eligible for up to 11 credits at Ridgewater, for example. But the
regulations for such programs change regularly, Walsh said, and must be
renewed.
“We are looking to
make these connections more explicit,” Walsh said.
In coming years,
students may also see growing options to gain skill certifications they can use
in the job market.
“When we get where we
want to go, it will be possible for students to get half of their college done
before they finish high school,” Seppelt said.
Hutchinson residents
will see these programs take shape in the next few years in the high school’s
career and technical education area, which will come together amid high school
renovations. Thanks to more than $1.2 million in contributions from local
partners, it will be equipped with modern machines that students see now at
Ridgewater College, and in manufacturers, as part of a plan to show students
what manufacturing looks like today.
“It’s exciting for me,
having been around for 22, 23 years,” Smith said, “ … seeing our community step
up and place the importance on this program.”
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