Page 9 - TTMNFallWinter2025

Manufacturing
Teaching Today Minnesota | Fall/Winter 2025 Page 9

Investing in Hands-On Learning to Build Tomorrow’s Workforce

and engineering design courses, providing
Expanding Career Connections students with valuable experience in manu-
By the end of the 2024–25 school year, facturing processes. By focusing on the skills
this new program was expected to benefit required for careers in sheet metal work, the
approximately 100 students, equipping them program introduces students to trade pathways
with foundational skills that align with work- that align with regional workforce needs.
force demands. The school is also building “We want students to understand that
connections with local industry partners to these skills are not just useful in class—they
provide students with exposure to real-world can lead to real job opportunities,” Jurek
applications and career opportunities.
emphasized. “By partnering with local compa-
Transforming the Fabrication Lab nies, we’re helping students see the relevance
With the grant funding, Becker High and value of what they’re learning.”
School invested in a new cutting station for A Lasting Impact
its Fabrication Lab, significantly improving
the efficiency and precision of metalworking Thanks to the CTE Equipment Mini-
processes. “We now have precise ways to cut Grant, Becker Public Schools has created a
our material, whether steel or aluminum, in a hands-on learning environment that bridges
more efficient manner with less post-process the gap between education and industry. This
Becker Public Schools has expanded its cator at Becker High School, developed a new cleanup,” Jurek said. investment ensures that students have the
Career and Technical Education (CTE) offer- course focused on sheet metal fabrication for For many students, this is their first expe- tools and training needed to succeed in high-
ings with the support of a CTE Equipment students in grades 10–12. The course goes rience working with professional-grade metal demand technical careers, strengthening both
Mini-Grant from Resource Training & Solu- beyond basic metalworking, incorporating fabrication equipment. The cutting station their futures and the regional workforce.
tions. Thanks to this funding, students now forming, fastening, and welding techniques allows them to develop hands-on skills that are Courtesy of Resource Training & Solutions
have access to new equipment that enhances that mirror industry practices. directly applicable to industry jobs, making and the Minnesota Department of Education
hands-on learning in sheet metal fabrication, “I want to introduce students to the pro- them more competitive as they enter the work-
preparing them for future careers in manufac- cesses involved in cutting, bending, forming, force or pursue further education in technical
turing and skilled trades. and fastening sheet metal,” Jurek explained. fields.
“The goal is to connect students to real-life www.becker.k12.mn.us
Enhancing Hands-On Learning in
skills and potential career paths, especially in Building Workforce-Ready Skills
Sheet Metal Fabrication industries like HVAC that are actively seeking The upgraded equipment enhances
Alex Jurek, Industrial Technology Edu- workers with these capabilities.” learning in Becker High School’s metals

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