There is a strong Career and Technical Education (CTE) program underway at Lake Superior District schools. On Monday morning, Two Harbors High School students Landon Rousseau, Ben Wermter, James Fransen, and Jacob Samuell met with members of the community to demonstrate metal fabrication work that they are doing using a computer guided plasma-cutting system. Last Spring, Industrial Arts Teacher Ben Hudson wrote a grant to purchase a $32,000 plasma-cutting system with money from the Federal Perkins Fund. Local manufacturing companies, LaBounty, Serco, Stanley and BuiltRite, are supportive of Career and Technical Education in local schools and are eager to hire homegrown workers to strengthen the manufacturing base in Lake County. These industry partners also help students understand the types of knowledge, skills and attributes needed for success in the workplace. Additionally, they donate materials, supplies and safety equipment to the program.
Superintendent Jay Belcastro, THHS Principal Gina Kleive, Teacher and Perkins Consortium Coordinator Leah Bott, and representatives from the local media were also present for the demonstration.
James Fransen and Ben Wermter demonstrated the set up and metal cutting capabilities of the plasma-cutting machine and those who attended the demonstration had an opportunity to look at a number of projects that students have been working on.
49% of jobs in Minnesota require the kind of training and skills that high school students are learning in CTE programs. Career and Technical Education is an important part of a well rounded curriculum, allowing students to integrate core academic knowledge with technical and occupational knowledge and providing students with a pathway to post secondary education and well paying careers.
