School Days: Morgan Hill Unified School District
CTE Courses: Hone Workforce Skills
By Lanae Bays, Public Information Officer, Morgan Hill Unified School District
I
n recent years, the Morgan Hill Unified School District
has emphasized both college and career readiness in our
high schools. Our CTE (Career Technical Education)
programs have increased in popularity among students
due to some revamping of classes which have made them
highly successful. These classes provide students with
academic and hands-on training and technical skills to meet
today’s workplace requirements.
The welding program at Ann Sobrato High School is
taught by industry professionals and overseen by district
certificated personnel. Mike Provencio teaches students the
basics of the Solid Works program, 3D CAD design software.
Provencio, who works at Advantest in San Jose, said students
must learn the fundamentals, such as how to build parts.
Students spend about one month on Solid Works, and one
month on welding for a comprehensive experience of what
goes into a welding project. This typically involves designing
a project on Solid Works, printing the design on a 3D
printer, and then actually welding it.
According to Lawrence Crawford, MHUSD teacher,
students not only get to study under industry professionals
but by doing well in class, they are in a prime position to be
considered for an apprenticeship based on their experience.
Interestingly, the welding program has attracted students
with diverse interests. It has proven its appeal not only to
students who only want to pursue the trade as a career but
also to related fields. Along with welding careers, students
who’ve taken the class have expressed interest in pursuing
engineering design in college, attending technical schools,
and teaching.
When an unexpected staffing change at the start of the
school year put the welding program at risk, the school dis-
trict got together with Tim Herlihy, owner of Morgan Hill-
based Creative Manufacturing Solutions (CMS) to devise a
solution. CMS funds the cost to have one of its managers,
Mario Flores, teach the welding portion of the class. He trains
students the main welding techniques used in the industry.
“I want them to walk away knowing how to weld, to the
standards that are expected in the field,” Flores said.
At Live Oak High School, CJ Goularte teaches classes in
woodworking and construction for the past year and has
made some changes for the better. He was recently trained
on an award-winning construction education curriculum
known as the Paxton Patterson program. The training
focused on a construction circuit where students move from
station to station, learning the fundamentals of blueprints,
wall framing, roof framing, masonry and concrete, until they
complete the circuit.
GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN
Photo Left: CJ Goularte teaches
woodworking and construction
at Live Oak High School.
Photo Below: Mario Flores,
Manager at Creative Manufactur-
ing Solutions, teaches welding to
high school students.
Photo Left: Mike Provencio, in-
dustry professional at Advantest,
teaches use of 3D CAD design
software at Ann Sobrato High
School.
Throughout the woodworking shop, groups of students
huddle around several stations using tools and learning
trades. As with the welding class, these students have vary-
ing career goals ranging from civil engineering, dentistry,
and computers. Many students said that even if they did
not decide to pursue a trade as a career, they felt they were
learning skills that would be useful in life.
The US is experiencing a skilled labor shortage, and
the CTE programs popping up in high schools around
the country are generating interest among students who
other-wise might not have been exposed to a trade. Many
students in these classes are working with their hands for the
first time.
Live Oak Senior Brittany Miqueo said she has enjoyed
her time in the welding class, learning a skill that “most girls
don’t have.” School district leaders are confident that the
welding program will continue to open up opportunities for
more students, in the classroom and beyond.
WINTER 2020
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