A Utica Community Schools Career and Technical Education (CTE) academy
that provides students a direct link to high paying jobs has been
honored as one Michigan’s best educational programs.
The Stevenson Manufacturing, Automation and Design Engineering (MADE)
Academy has been recognized with a 2020 Education Excellence Award from
the Michigan Association of School Boards and the SET SEG Foundation.
“Through programs such as Stevenson MADE, Utica Community Schools is
preparing students for the high paying jobs that are driving this
region’s economy,” Superintendent Dr Christine Johns said. “We work
closely with business leaders to give graduates the skills that are
critical to employers, such as problem solving, critical thinking, the
ability to work in teams and direct experiences with business-grade
equipment and technology.
“I want to congratulate the Stevenson MADE administration and teachers
for the difference they are making in the success of our students,” Dr.
Johns said.
Stevenson MADE students are immersed in the Design Thinking Process
(empathy, define, ideate, prototype, and test) through projects in small
learning communities.
Each core class – mathematics, social studies, English and science – use
similar strategies that connect the subject area to the academy’s
pathways of fabrication, automation and design engineering.
When they finish, a Stevenson MADE graduate will have completed multiple
work-based learning experiences and possess industry credentials, such
as articulated college credit and a clear post-secondary plan.
Stevenson MADE was developed with business leaders to meet the needs of
the highly-skilled manufacturing jobs that are in the center of the
region’s automotive, defense and health care industries. Recently, the
U.S. Bureau of Labor found that Macomb County had the largest increase
in manufacturing employment from 2016 to 2018.
The Education Excellence Awards are produced through a partnership between the SET SEG Foundation and MASB.
This year, the SET SEG Foundation awarded $2,500 grants to 10
extraordinary Michigan public school programs. Education Excellence
Award recipients receive a $2,500 check to grow their program, an
“Education Excellence Winner” road sign and a trophy.