In this segment, the speaker advocates for expanding student‑run businesses within technical centers, arguing that when students produce parts for real companies, those companies become intrinsically invested in the program. This partnership supplies resources, expertise, and direct hiring pathways, helping students overcome financial obstacles that often make entering manufacturing feel like winning a lottery. The speaker highlights that even a brief, six‑month immersion where students learn to set up and operate a 3‑axis CNC machine equips them with tangible value, making them attractive hires for industry partners.
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This is why I really want to keep pitching this idea of student-run businesses to all of the tech centers that I possibly can. And then it creates real engagement with industry because now these students are making parts for industry. The business that's getting those parts is now invested in being part of that program kind of intrinsically, right? Yeah. It no longer requires them to come in and volunteer out of the goodness of their heart. Like, they are tied into it now. Right? And then the business will feed resources and knowledge and expertise and create opportunities for these students and probably even be a route for students to start getting jobs relatively easily. But they'll also be invested in that student staying in. So this is another challenge that like a lot of programs have. Say I'm a student that goes in and I know that like money is a bit of an issue for me, but I'm Committed. I want to, I want to get a job in manufacturing, and this is the only way that I know how to do it outside of winning the lottery, so to speak, by say applying to Boeing and getting my resume selected somehow, and then so maybe making it in, which is you know what a lot of folks from from my high school were trying to do. But you know, it did seem like sort of winning the lottery. Students will go into these programs, and then they'll get. say like 6 months in. And so they'll have sort of like basic skills. Now they know how to say like set a machine up, like a 3-axis machine. They can set it up, they can load tools. Well, now they've got real value to a company and they get an offer.
