Project Lead The Way
Course Description
COMPUTER NETWORKING: Students will study a curriculum covering basic computer technician/networking fundamentals and skills. Courses include IT Essentials, Introduction to Networks, and Routing and Switching Essentials. Students will develop skills in computer repair and maintenance, hardware and software troubleshooting, data networks and the Internet, layered communications, advanced IP addressing, router and switch protocols and configurations, operating system installations, and designing and building small to medium sized networks. Students will study advanced computer networking concepts. In addition, students will develop skills in repairing networks and server infrastructure hardware, router and switch configurations for advanced functionality in larger and more complex networks, monitoring and troubleshooting wide area network operations, and building medium to large sized networks.
MACHINE TOOL TECHNOLOGY/CNC: This program is designed to prepare students for entry level manufacturing jobs in the precision machining trades. Students will learn to operate a power metal saw, drill press, lathe, mill, and surface grinder. Students will interpret design specifications and technical drawings from which items will be reproduced. Students will also work with computerized numerical control (CNC) machine tools. Students may also have the opportunity to complete an approved internship.
ENGINEERING/ROBOTICS: This course showcases the technical skills students obtain through Project Lead the Way. The course details student experience with tools, software, lab work, and engineering design. The detailed skills listed within course resumes illustrate the immediate, applicable contributions that students can make within a workplace. This course emphasizes skills in Computational and Analytical Skills, Engineering Design Experience, along with Tools and Software. Professional Skills such as team collaboration, project management, problem solving and communication skills are also covered.
Student Work
A team of two students from the UniTec Career Center competed in June's virtual Mobile Robotics Technology contest at the 2021 SkillsUSA Championships and brought back a silver medal.
The students earned the right to compete when they won first place at the Missouri SkillsUSA Championships this spring. They were supported by their robotics instructor, Greg Nichols.
Attending from Kingston High School was team member Jacob Drennen, and attending from Central High School was team member Dean Parker. Both of the young men are enrolled in UniTec Career Center's Engineering and Design Course. The students received the silver medal and were given a free registration into the VEX Robotics Competition Tipping Point for next year. Other awards and scholarships may also be forthcoming.
The SkillsUSA Championships featured thousands of students competing in more than 100 occupational and leadership skill areas. The annual event was held in conjunction with the SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference, a workforce development event.
At the conference, students participated as competitors or as voting delegates. Competitors focused on one skill area, while delegates represented their state and conduct the business of their organization, also electing student national officers for the year. Students also interacted with business and industry representatives, heard from government officials and attended educational sessions.
SkillsUSA is a nonprofit partnership of education and industry founded in 1965 to strengthen our nation’s skilled workforce. Driven by employer demand, SkillsUSA helps students develop necessary personal and workplace skills along with technical skills grounded in academics. This SkillsUSA Framework empowers every student to succeed at work and in life, while helping to close the skills gap in which millions of positions go unfilled.
Through SkillsUSA’s championships program and curricula, employers have ensured schools are teaching relevant technical skills, and with SkillsUSA’s new credentialing process, they can now assess how ready potential employees are for the job.
SkillsUSA has hundreds of thousands of members nationwide in high schools, middle schools and colleges, covering more than 130 trade, technical and skilled service occupations, and is recognized by the U.S. Departments of Education and Labor as integral to career and technical education. With the addition of our alumni, membership last year was over 400,000. SkillsUSA receives in-kind and financial support from more than 650 national partners. They have served more than 13.8 million members since 1965. For more information: www.skillsusa.org.