Inside the Machining Room

On a hazy Tuesday, several buses steer into the driveway of Worcester Tech and release kids from all paths of the city into the school. Some from North High, a few from Doherty, others from Burncoat. They all congregate inside of the school for their new program. Out of the many kids, there’s a group of kids that stand out. They wear steel toe boots, work pants, and don safety glasses around their necks. These are the bright machinists and engineers of the future.

Innovation Career Pathways is a program that runs from sophomore year to senior year for all school in WPS that help students learn several vocational trades. Out of all of the programs they have, advanced manufacturing has to be the most captivating of them all.

Many students came into the program having no idea what in the world advanced manufacturing even is, but coming out of it, they were very glad they learned.

Killeen Manufacturing Auburn, MA

In the shop, students work on CNC machines. In short, it’s expensive metal cutting cheaper metal. These huge machines go for 50,000 for entry level machines, to 500,000 for advanced 5-axis machines. All over the country, these machines are used in real industries, and to have 15 year olds be able to operate them is an outstanding achievement and a great privilege. Certifications like OSHA and Nc3 are provided for free, and work at the industry level. Students get prepared for careers in modern manufacturing as well as engineering through the various assignments in the shop.

Sometimes it may be working on the 5-axis machine cutting out brand new parts for the new school-wide project. Sometimes it may be designing a brand new part from scratch on Fusion 360. Other times, it’s 3d printing new prototypes to see what they need to fix. It’s never a dull day inside the machining room.

Inside the Machining Room

The Arctic

The Arctic

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