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Last month, we had the chance to tour our local community college’s Technical Education Center.
Our area high school students can start attending classes here during their junior and senior year of high school, to get a head start on their college education.
They offer all kinds of classes and the kids got to see which ones they might be interested in.
The construction class had built 2 small homes, that are about the size of a large shed. They did all of the work on the homes, from the electrical to the cabinet making.
The girls enjoyed climbing the ladder to the loft, where you would sleep.
The students are selling the houses for around $15,000 to cover the cost of materials.
Our next stop was the engineering department. We saw how they use blueprints to build everything from trusses to houses.
These students were working on an energy efficient house to use in a competition.
Next up was the computer programming room. The kids saw how you can program things like Christmas lights to “dance” or create a special visual effect.
Our tour guide led us into the robotics room, where we saw a robotic arm. The kids all listed things you might see robotic arms doing in the future.
Surgeries, factory work and even in the military, were some of the kids’ suggestions.
We swung by the welding shop and the kids got to try on the welder’s gear. We talked about all the types of welding you could do, some of which requires lots of travel and some of which you can do right in your hometown.
Our next stop was at the drafting department. The kids got to see a 3-D computer, as well as inspect the results of 3-D printing. They were all impressed that a computer can produce an actual object. They especially liked the toilet. 🙂
We got to see a clear computer so the kids could get a visual for just how complex a computer monitor is and what it takes to make it work.
The last leg of the tour took us to the automotive area.
Here we saw general mechanics, auto body rebuilding, painting and diesel mechanics.
The tour was a lot of fun and very informative. They gave the parents plenty of information for our homeschoolers. In just a few short years, our little ones will be deciding what career paths they want to take. We will definitely take this very helpful tour again before they reach that age.
