Wawasee Community Schools’ Pathways CTE and Warsaw Community Schools’ Warsaw Area Career Center (WACC) recently hosted signing days for their inaugural co-horts of students participating in their advanced manufacturing academy programs. The signing events mark the beginning of the next chapter for both programs after nearly two years of planning that included both school systems, Purdue University’s IN-MaC, industry partners, and OrthoWorx.
The mission of both programs is to engage high schools in immersive learning experiences, through high-tech, industry integrated curriculum, preparing them for successful and rewarding careers in advanced manufacturing. Students in the programs will gain greater visibility to career options with the manufacturing sector in our region and the opportunities that exist with the established industries of orthopedics right here in our community.
This model of hands-on education was brought to the group via Lisa Deck from Purdue University’s IN-MaC. IN-MaC provides programs and services to enhance the talents and capabilities of Indiana’s present and future workforce by facilitating connections between educators and industry to catalyze the formation of near-term and long-term skills in a highly accessible manner across Indiana. IN-MaC supports a variety of STEM-type, skilled trades, degree (associates and undergraduate), and certificate programs.
The two-year program will have students engaging with advanced manufacturing courses designed to foster practical skills and theoretical understanding. In addition, during their second year, students will participate in a capstone, paid internship at an industry partner.
Students at Wawasee’s Pathways will be paired with POLYWOOD and students at WACC will build relationships with Instrumental Machine & Development, Medartis, Precision Medical Technologies and Zimmer Biomet.
On Tuesday, May 13, students participating in POLYWOOD Academy Powered by Pathways, signed on during Wawasee’s School Board meeting. Students in attendance were: Austin Harney, Micah Wilson, Andrew Waugh, Kassidy Carter and Nicholas Moreland.
On Tuesday, May 21, students participating in RAMP signed on at Warsaw Community High School. Students in attendance were: Tyler Antunez Brito, MacKenzie Campbell, Nathan Carlin, Matthew D. Cordill, Logan J. Cox, Jaxon O. Cranick, Marco Cuahuizo Gutierrez, Addison Eastwood, Daylon Fitzpatrick, Jamie Paul Haynes-Bright, Parker J. Justice, Logan Miller, Mattias W. Niebbia, Ian M. Parrott, Aarav Divyesh Patel, Jackson Reed Polk, Gavin L. Schultz and Jacob Tyler Wood.
Both programs will begin at the start of the 2024-2025 school year.
