Northland Community and Technical College cleared the way to donate a wheel alignment machine to Warren-Alvarado-Oslo (WAO) High School to enable instructors to bolster their current automotive maintenance instruction to include a hands-on element in wheel alignment systems.
“It’s uncommon these days to have these programs available to high school students,” affirms Mark Johnson, Northland Automotive Service Technology instructor, “which is why it’s so important to support the ones that do.” Johnson further pointed out that programs such as this are a way to put the rules of geometry and physics into practice in real-world situations.
Industrial Technology courses expose students to a wide variety of skill sets from engineering to carpentry and automotive technology. WAO Industrial Technology instructor Nathan Wozniak asserts, “It’s rare to have an Industrial Technology program integrated into the high school curriculum–and it’s extremely rare for students to have access to this caliber of equipment. It’s a huge opportunity to expand this unit beyond theory to a hands-on experience.”
“As we know the Automotive Industry is in need of additional qualified workers and through a donation like this, maybe it will spark the interest of a student to pursue a career in this area,” Mike Curfman, Northland’s Thief River Falls Campus dean discloses, “Northland’s graduates in our Automotive programs have been in demand by employers and a lot of these students come from local high schools, such as Warren-Alvarado-Oslo. We are glad that we’re able to make this donation to WAO.”
