Van Buren Tech Shapes Young Engineers with SOLIDWORKS

At Van Buren Technology Center in Lawrence, Michigan, instructor Josh Bridges teaches his 11th and 12th-grade students about the many facets of design. But Josh doesn’t just prepare his students to take a test, he prepares them for the workforce.  

Many of his former students have gone on to have extremely successful college careers and have even been asked to lead various design clubs at their schools. We met with Josh after his recent presentation at 3DEXPERIENCE World in Houston to talk about his passion as a teacher, the projects his students are working on, and how he prepares his students for engineering life beyond the classroom. 

Teaching SOLIDWORKS to High School Students 

Some teachers may tell you that the current generation of students can be difficult to reach. At times, it can feel like they’re speaking a different language, and they have to deal with ever-shorter attention spans. But, Josh has his students for 2-1/2 hours a day during the school year, and each is excited about his class. How does he do it? 

“I teach theory to my students, and at the beginning of the year, they get a lot of it. But I also work it into projects, trying to make it interesting.” 

Josh always starts the year by having his students sketch in 2D in SOLIDWORKS. While he acknowledges that SOLIDWORKS isn’t designed to be a 2D CAD program, it helps him lay the foundation for his students to create solid sketches in the future.  

As the students progress into 3D models, Josh challenges them with various design challenges. For example, his students ran their own SOLIDWORKS Jack-o-Lantern design contest for Halloween. Around the holidays, they designed ornaments for the in-class decorations to get into the holiday spirit. 

Going Beyond Just CAD 

As any designer can tell you, CAD models are only part of the job. So, instead of teaching only SOLIDWORKS, Josh instructs his students to take a complete approach to designing. They start in CAD before creating scale models in their lab using anything from CNC machines and hand tools to 3D printers. 

But just like in the field, designs don’t always go according to plan on the first try. “Sometimes they’ll 3D print a scale model, and they go, ‘oh shoot, I didn’t think about that.’” 

Students even participate in design reviews that simulate what designing is like in the real world. As Josh put it, “I can tell you a thousand times that you didn’t dimension the drawing right. But when another student says, ‘hey, you missed a dimension’, that’s powerful.”  

This simulation of real-world experiences prepares the students at Van Buren Tech for the next step they take – whether that be a college engineering class or the real world. 

Learning Translates to Success 

There’s no doubt that Van Buren Tech students have a leg up when it comes to determining their next step if they want to continue with engineering. 

“I’ve had students come back and tell me that they got to their college engineering class and while their classmates were trying to learn the CAD program, they were already busy with their designs.”

This success translates to the field as well. Josh said he’s had situations where students would shadow industry professionals. They’ll talk to their mentors about SOLIDWORKS and certifications, mentioning their achievements and certifications from Van Buren Tech. Meanwhile, the SOLIDWORKS users that the Van Buren Tech students are shadowing don’t yet have those certifications for themselves. 

What Comes Next? 

For Josh, it’s apparent that he loves what he does and takes pride in his teaching. It’s not always flashy, as the students recently completed a project to augment the humble clipboard. Students participated in a review process with industry professionals acting as the judges. As one judge put it, “You took a really boring topic and made it interesting.” 

As for the students, they’re always looking at their next SOLIDWORKS certification. Throughout the school year, the students at Van Buren learn and apply skills, leading up to the days they take their Certified SOLIDWORKS Associate exam in February or March. Josh sees tremendous success across the classroom, and once the students pass the certification, some even begin working on their Certified SOLIDWORKS Professional tests. 

“I think what I’m most proud of is that since I started teaching this class, I’ve had 67 kids pass their CSWAs or CSWPs. And the fact that we’ve been able to get so many kids certified and job-ready or into college with 9 credits of classes already under their belt is huge.” 

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