Publication select ▼
TROY — Oct. 6 marked International Manufacturing Day, and Troy High School celebrated with a ribbon-cutting on its new manufacturing lab and its recent partnership with the SME Education Foundation.
SME, which originated as the Society of Manufacturing Engineers, is a 90-year-old nonprofit based in Southfield. It promotes manufacturing technology and the development of a skilled workforce. The SME Foundation is its philanthropic arm, which works as a 501(c)(3).
SME has hosted its PRIME program in 32 schools across Michigan, which now includes Troy High School.
“The program is called SME PRIME, which stands for ‘Partnership Response In Manufacturing Education.’ Today we are launching an SME PRIME program at Troy High School,” Rob Luce, the vice president of the SME Education Foundation, said on Oct. 6. “(PRIME) provides curriculum, equipment, teacher training, scholarships, funding for extracurricular activities and more. … It’s been in the process of coming to Troy High School for about a year and a half, but we are celebrating it today.”
PRIME made the new manufacturing lab possible and has brought numerous resources to Troy High School to encourage students to explore manufacturing as a career and give them hands-on experience in the area.
“This opportunity to collaborate with SME PRIME provides students the chance to get real-world, hands-on experience with manufacturing equipment and tools that are state-of-the-art,” said Superintendent Rich Machesky. “Typically in high schools we work in the theoretical. We’re in a classroom setting talking about what you might do. Now we can show them what they will do and what they can work with.”
“The idea (behind PRIME) is that students from schools with this program are graduating with the skill set and certifications and credentials that manufacturers in their community demand,” Luce added. “We are creating career pathways in an industry that is starving for talent.”
PRIME will provide students with access to equipment and learning opportunities that otherwise wouldn’t be available in the Troy community.
“They’ll have access to the latest technology in terms of robotics, (Computer Aided Design/Computer Aided Manufacturing) tech, and some of the most forefront printing and production resources. Whatever you might see in an advanced manufacturing plant, you can see an example of in our shop here,” said Machesky. “The program is up and running as of the start of this fall semester. We have a new instructor for the program, Mr. Greg Martus. Our students are already working with these machines and with this technology.”
Martus said this will greatly widen career options in students’ futures.
“The big thing they are getting is opportunities. The amount of stuff that is available to our students now just opens up the floodgates in terms of what they can pursue when they leave high school,” he remarked. “A lot of what they can now get a better understanding of is focused on the manufacturing side of things, engineering and so forth.”
PRIME provided both grant funding and equipment for Troy High School.
“The grant was initially for more than $300,000, but now with some added machinery we have acquired it is worth far much more. They also provided training for the teacher and ongoing support,” said Machesky. “SME’s job is to help you get started, provide you the support so you are ready to stand on your own, and then we sustain the program.”
The SME Foundation currently has the PRIME program in 32 schools in Michigan. At the Troy High School event, they announced that they will be expanding to 49 in 2024, which they said is by far the highest concentration of PRIME schools in any of the 23 states PRIME is in.
“The state of Michigan, to their credit, recognized the importance of manufacturing education a couple of years back and partnered with us to launch 16 PRIME schools across the state, one of which is Troy High School,” explained Luce. “The school or school district is not on the hook to cover the cost of any of the costs incurred to develop this program. … The funding all comes from the state. … Troy saw value in this program and was selected out of 40 applicants.”
The educators at Troy High said that the day was the perfect way to commemorate National Manufacturing Day and is a big step in improving access to resources that many students will need in their futures.
“Whether you’re going into the workforce, into a two-year program, into a four-year university, you’re going to have an opportunity to interact with technology that will serve you well no matter what you want to do in the future,” Machesky said. “As a school district, our job is to create opportunities for our students. That means providing opportunities to see themselves and their futures through the work they are doing in school. Our end goal is to connect students to the world they are going to move into. This is a great example of bringing these opportunities to our students instead of them having to go out and find them. We couldn’t be more excited.”
“This is an opportunity that a lot of other students would love to have but don’t,” said Martus. “It’s important to recognize that the learning you get from this, even if you don’t go into that field, the process of learning to use these machines is huge. I mentioned to them on their first day of class that I had a small engines class when I was in high school and how that stuck with me and I want them to walk away feeling that way too.”
