South Carolina is no stranger to big-name industries. With companies such as Boeing, BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Volvo establishing themselves in the Lowcountry, it is important to have a highly skilled workforce lined up and ready to go after students receive their high school diplomas.
Philip Simmons High’s engineering program is growing with the addition of Siemens Engineering Pathway, a curriculum that will help teach students the most necessary strokes of engineering and prime their education to more seamlessly transition them into a potential engineering career. The first two courses of a four-course program are being taught at the school this year.
B.T. Martin, Education Associate in the Office of Career and Technical Education for the State Department of Education, said he has found the Siemens Engineering Pathway to Learning curriculum to be more in line with the Governor’s vision for preparing a highly-skilled workforce in the fields of engineering and/or manufacturing for South Carolina and the Southeast.
Siemens Engineering Pathway offers teacher training, free software, free curriculum and free student certifications. Philip Simmons High has added a second engineering teacher, Jonathan Hutchison, who is teaching courses 1 and 2 of the program this year. Course 1 is Engineering Design, focusing heavily on 3D modeling and 3D printing, similar to the Intro to Engineering Design that Project Lead the Way offers. Course 2 will be offered next semester to offer Manufacturing and Automation, with a heavy focus on CNC (Computer Numerical Control) machining.
Hutchison said much of his teaching is focused on assigning projects and letting students be leaders in their learning. In October, Hutchison’s students worked on projects involving the class’s 3D printers, such as producing puzzles with at least three parts.
“I’m excited to see where these kids go, even if they do not stick with engineering,” he said, adding the students are learning valuable problem-solving skills. “Even if they aren’t engineers as a career, they will be able to tackle most any issue they have in life.”
Hutchison will continue to train in the curriculum to provide more hands-on learning to engineering students through the University of South Carolina’s College of Engineering and Computing.