They
say it takes a village to raise a child. In the case of St. Johns Technical
High School (SJTHS) this is not a
mere
statement; students are living it each day as teachers, school administrators and
local industry have joined efforts to give at-risk students a new hope by
introducing them to manufacturing careers and engaging them in skilled
manufacturing positions. SJTHS is a Title 1 school in St. Augustine, FL. Prior
to 2010 the school catered mainly to over age and/or students performing at below grade level, and a large ESE population with many
receiving remediation and/or grade recovery.
Today
the school has turned around, significantly, thanks in part to the efforts of
school administrators and the staff who have played a critical role in
transforming the school to a CHOICE program within a period of five years. As
part of its transformation, the school currently offers smaller class sizes and
intensive math and reading classes which has enabled the school to rehabilitate
a cohort of students, bringing them up to speed in terms of their overall
academic performance.
Linda
Krepp, career specialist at SJTH says a core part of SJTHS’s success lies in the implementation of several successful strategies one of which has been to reach out and connect
with students at the elementary school level and build a pipeline of
students who can matriculate to high school. Krepp, who has worked closely with
school administrators and local industry partners, says another successful
component also lies in its strategic community partnership with Carlisle
Interconnect Technologies (CIT) in building a manufacturing internship program
for junior and senior students at SJTHS. CIT, located in St. Augustine, FL, is
a global company that designs, manufactures and markets high-performance wire
and cable, including optical fiber. (More
info at http://www.carlisleit.com). The CIT
internship program is geared to introduce students to various facets of
manufacturing technology through hands-on classroom instruction. The program
has been critical in preparing graduates for job opportunities at CIT and
outside employment as well.
The CIT program is divided into two
tiers. Tier I into Tier II is more about orientation where they learn about
different processes of manufacturing, how to be a good employee, get acquainted
with Carlisle’s values. They also learn about the different aspects of a
business from sales, engineering, quality control in manufacturing, lean
manufacturing, and OSHA safety guidelines. Tier III, the paid portion of the
internship, is where students are on the manufacturing floor with a Carlisle mentor on a
one-to-one basis which in a full year is six, four-week rotations on the
manufacturing floor which gives them a more in-depth and hands-on experience
about the manufacturing processes.
There are currently 11 students, both juniors and seniors, doing the internship. In 2014, there were 13 students enrolled in the program, and 9 in 2013. Krepp underlines the internship’s role as incentivizing students to attend school, become more engaged and committed, and see first-hand practical applications of what they are learning in real-world settings. It has also served as a vehicle to hone math skills which is a top requirement to qualify for the Carlisle internship program.
The
strategy to build a partnership between the high school and local manufacturers
has been mutually beneficial for the school and CIT. The internship program was earmarked as a best practice in
manufacturing education on a statewide level. The STEM program at SJHS is an
excellent program with 40% of students in the academy being female students. “Being
a girl should not hinder students from entering the world of manufacturing”
says Krepp who uses herself as an example of how women can excel in a
particularly male dominated industry/profession.
At SJHS it is not enough for students
to graduate from high school. Gov. Rick Scott recognized the program and one of
its graduates (Ashleigh Pasquerello) who was among the first batch of students who
graduated from SJTHS and got hired at Carlisle. “It’s a win-win for us, the
society, and for manufacturers as they have a ready-to-work pipeline of
students” said Krepp. She notes that it is also important for students to acquire
skills that are transferable across industries. “We have to build that bridge
from high school to the real world and this program has been phenomenal in
doing that” Krepp said.
Looking to the future, Krepp hopes to
build in-roads between the school and local industry as well as expand partnership
with statewide organizations like FLATE to promote manufacturing especially to
girls. The school is looking to start a LEGO robotics program in 2016-2017,
similar to the one hosted by FLATE for high school students. Krepp is also
exploring opportunities to expose students to SolidWORKS
and possibly offer a related industry certification as well. Krepp also looks
forward to strengthening SJTHS’ partnership with local manufacturers
association like FCMA to continue its engagement in Manufacturing Day
activities for the current and next academic year. “These kids need us to build
a bridge that helps them understand the world at large,” and at the same time “build
a pipeline of skilled workers for local industry as well” Krepp said.
