Coloma Community School District offering CTE program, woodshop for students

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (WNDU) - Coloma High School will once again offer its CTE program when students head back to class on Monday, Aug. 29.

It’s a program that is now available to their junior high students, and 16 News Now is told numbers are going through the roof with participation.

Students will learn simple sketching skills, how to draw on a computer, welding, thermal cutting, forging, manual machining, some automotive, and even basic woodworking, which is new this year.

But the most important thing they will learn—how to problem solve.

“If I answer all their questions, they are really not learning as much as they could,” says Charles Luchies, teacher at Coloma High School. “But if I could guide them in thinking through a process, then I just got them to not only be successful in my class, but to be successful in the working world, and be successful in math class and English class because they are using their brain to think through a problem.”

“We actually have a system right now in place that we started about two years ago, where we are actually going to take kids who are advanced in machining or advanced in welding, and we are actually going to take them and actually put them out in the area in local shops,” Luchies added. “So, they get a half day here at the high school and basically go to their job for a half a day. And they get on the job training there and they also get paid for it,” Luchies added.

The Coloma Community School District says college can be expensive and frankly not for everyone. But through this program, students are getting hired right out of school. They have a focus, and no college debt.

Copyright 2022 WNDU. All rights reserved.