HUNTINGBURG, Ind. (WFIE) – Thanks to a new partnership with a Dubois County school district, Southridge High School students are gaining new hands-on experience and the opportunity to complete paid internships while still in school.
A partnership exists with OFS, a furniture manufacturer, which now brings one of its own employees to teach the students how to use new equipment.
Another partnership exists with Toyota. Toyota also provides an employee on site to show the students, among other things, how to work on the assembly line.
“We deal a little with hydraulics, pneumatics and robotics,” says Adam Knies.
Knies is the 4T teacher at Southridge.
4T is the advanced manufacturing course for juniors and seniors, run in partnership with Toyota, offering students a more hands-on learning experience.
“It’s these kids who think, ‘I don’t know what I want to do. Do I want to do this? Don’t I want to do that?’ They can do it right now,” Knies said.
Anyone who comes to the conclusion that car manufacturing is not for them can try the course next door.
There is also a partnership, this time with OFS, a furniture manufacturer.
“The more hands-on experience these kids get, the better prepared they are for anything that comes with the manufacturing industry,” says Sam Collins, a construction and manufacturing teacher at Southridge.
He teaches the Crafted class that collaborates with OFS.
Since both companies purchased new equipment and employed their own staff to support the lessons, the practical learning process could be intensified even further.
And student interest has also increased.
“Right now we’re working on bookshelves, it’s pretty fun,” said Owen Blessinger.
Blessinger is a junior at Southridge.
Thanks to the partnership with OFS, he was able to work for them last summer.
“It’s cool to learn about all these machines and how they work,” Blessinger said.
His classmate Chase Bowman agrees and hopes to work for OFS himself next year while he is in school.
“We build and produce a lot of things that a lot of kids don’t do,” Bowman said. “For me, it’s a win-win situation.”
It seems to be a win-win situation for everyone.
“The kids come in on the first day and I can see a difference in their faces,” Collins said. “Much more respect for the classroom, they want to be here.”
“I think it just gives them a head start no matter what path they take,” Knies said. “Whether they work at Toyota or somewhere else, they already have that basic knowledge.”
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