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educatio n & tr aining Learning in motion Algoma High School student-run machining shop offers hands-on education By MaryBeth Matzek Algoma High School students use equipment in their classroom to design and make parts for businesses. Called Wolf Tech, the program is attracting attention from other high schools in the region. C o u r t e s y A l g o m a H i g h Sch o o l "I've always been a firm believer that kids need to make stuff to help them in the learning process. The best part of this whole thing is seeing the students succeed." – Nick Cochart, principal at Algoma High School and creator of Wolf Tech Algoma High School students aren't just learning about machining – they're putting that knowledge into action, creating their own business. Algoma Wolf Tech, launched in 2012, puts students to work designing and then making parts for other businesses. The program provides students with hands-on work experience. It also creates a readymade workforce for area companies hungry for skilled workers. "I've always been a firm believer that kids need to make stuff to help them in the learning process," says Nick Cochart, principal at Algoma High School and creator of Wolf Tech, which recently received the Wisconsin Manufacturing Education Innovation Award. "The best 14 | / insight on manufacturing • January 2014 part of this whole thing is seeing the students succeed." Cochart joined the high school in 2011 with the idea of creating a tech-ed program that allowed students to create their own machining business. While the school already had key equipment in place, including Miller Welding equipment, a CNC table router, a Baleigh Tubing Bender, a Scotchman Iron Worker, AutoCAD, SolidWorks, Autodesk and more, it took about six months to make contacts with local businesses to provide technical assistance and advice to students as well as setting up work agreements. By mid-2012, the students were CNC machining parts for Precision Machine Inc. At school, the students have access to AutoCAD, Solidworks and MasterCAM to help them design "whatever they imagine," Cochart says. The students can build cabinets, rustic coolers, specialty trailers and other projects by request, he says. Jamie Spitzer, president of Precision Machine, says supporting the program was a natural fit. "We saw we could help the school develop something that would allow the students more opportunities to w w w.in s i g h t o n m f g .c o m