NILES — The Niles High School Career and Technical Education department was awarded more than $85,000 in State of Michigan grants that will allow for the purchase of equipment to support and enhance programs that feed into careers with sustained job growth, helping to build a more qualified workforce. The automotive, health sciences and agriculture and natural resources programs at Niles High School will receive laptops, while the culinary arts program will receive a commercial-style hood ventilation system.

“We are thankful for the Michigan Department of Education’s recognition of this important need within our district to build on our successful Career and Technical Education department,” said Dan Applegate, superintendent at Niles Community Schools. “We strive to give our students the necessary skills to be top competitors in college or employment opportunities after high school. This grant will make way for new opportunities for our students as we continue to prepare them for all that comes next.”

Health sciences

Students in the Allied Health and PHCA classes will utilize the grant-funded laptops for research, clinical journaling, simulation, presentations and online learning modules. As computers continue to become a necessity in the health care field, with these laptops students will be able to learn proper documentation and charting, access and create patient medical records, view diagnostic results and view prescription information.

Agriculture and natural resources

Laptops are commonly used for the day-to-day management of farm operations and agribusinesses.  Students in agriculture programs at NHS will use these grant-funded laptops to journal about classroom and work experiences, as well as skills gained. The laptops will allow them to access an online record-keeping system to track their entrepreneurial work-based learning experiences. They will be able to generate a report of their skills and certifications that can be given to employers when they leave the program.

Automotive

Mechanics and automotive engineers use a variety of online databases for online trainings, diagnostic tools and for the financial functions of consumer auto repairs. The grant will allow automotive students to gain exposure to such programs in class and enable them to take automotive certification exams.

Culinary

The state grant will also allow the classroom kitchen, utilized by the culinary program, to be equipped with a ventilation system that will enable students to be trained on commercial equipment and safety measures of the food industry. Previously, the classroom depended on home economic-styled equipment to showcase all food safety. This real-world application will allow students who plan to go in the food industry to gain experience in a commercial kitchen setting.