On November 10, Wilson Talent Center welcomed 25 members of the Michigan Machine Tool Teachers Association (MMTTA) for a hands-on, forward-thinking collaboration. Led by Rick Castaneda, Precision Machining Technology Instructor at WTC, the event provided a powerful forum for industry experts and educators to share strategies, trends, and innovations shaping the field.
From dual enrollment and articulation agreements to new machine tool technologies, attendees tackled the most pressing issues facing Michigan’s manufacturing workforce. Guest speaker Ryan Pohl of Praeco Skills brought real-world insights on employer feedback, in-demand skills, and pathways into modern machining careers.
This kind of industry partnership ensures that CTE programs remain relevant, responsive, and rigorous—equipping students not just to participate in the workforce, but to thrive in it.
As Castaneda noted, collaboration like this builds more than curriculum—it builds opportunity.
Recent Stories:
What happens when educators from different schools and communities get in the same room? Ideas travel. Questions get bigger. Practice gets stronger. Recent professional learning opportunities in early childhood literacy and secondary mathematics show how collaboration helps knowledge move across classrooms, schools and communities throughout the Ingham ISD service area.
Seven Wilson Talent Center students are taking their engineering and construction skills beyond the classroom through the ACE Mentor Program at Mayotte Group Architects. Over 15 weeks, they’ll explore careers across the building industry while tackling a real-world design challenge: creating a brand-new elementary school.
