Three recent graduates find themselves employed full-time and credit their education at P-TECH.

“The teachers were very encouraging on individual student projects, which I feel is very important for students to realize that the teachers are there to help you along your path. We did a lot of specialized projects for students with different interests,” said Hope Smith, P-TECH alumnus and JCC Class of 2022 graduate. “There was a variety of things that you could do at P-TECH, and the teachers were more than happy to help you along the way and were truly there for you and your experience.”

Smith is an Engineering Technician at Bush Industries. She started as a summer intern but was able to secure a full-time position with the company in 2021. Smith applies many attributes learned and developed at P-TECH to test the stability of different units. She uses CAD D and elements of a statistics class she took in the program.

P-TECH includes an array of hands-on and project-based, productive education and opportunities.

Whitney Hice of Dunkirk is pictured working at eSolutions Furniture in Jamestown. Hice is a graduate of the Western New York P-TECH Academy in Dunkirk.

With a focus on familiarizing students with the STEM field, it prepares students to enter the workforce. The experiences garnered while attending P-TECH have benefited Whitney Hice of Dunkirk, who now serves as a Space Planner for Bush Industries.

“We did a manufacturing challenge with (P-TECH) not too long ago, and just seeing how P-TECH has developed; they have all the machines, the classes are there, the kids are getting the full experience,” Hice said. “It takes time and years to develop. But seeing the students getting the opportunity is quite nice.”

Hice graduated high school early, partly due to her P-TECH classes. She also graduated from JCC in 2021 with a degree in Mechanical Technology: CADD. Among other things, Hice creates a 2D or 3D layout to determine how much space is needed to furnish an area.

Providing students with the resources they need to learn and be successful is one of the main objectives of the P-TECH program. Hice, along with P-TECH graduate Joe Amadori, of Lake Shore, credits the experience and education they received in CADD with laying the foundation for the start of their professional careers.

Amadori does a lot of CADD work, specifically prototyping, package designing, and virtual testing for Bush Industries.

Hope Smith of Jamestown is pictured working at eSolutions Furniture in Jamestown. Smith is a graduate of the Western New York P-TECH Academy in Dunkirk. Submitted photos

“Through CADD, Hope figured out how to do a weight test on a drawer. We want to test our drawers for if kids were to climb up them,” Amadori said. “It would simulate 50 pounds on a drawer handle, for example. And [we’d know] if it were to temper that.”

Bush Industries is just one of many companies looking for skillsets that can emerge from P-TECH courses. The success of P-TECH alums allows for the program to gauge its effectiveness.

After a Weber Knapp internship, Preston Niemeyer of Gowanda joined his classmates at Bush. Niemeyer, still enrolled at P-TECH and working to complete his associate degree at Jamestown Community College, works part-time for Bush on a paid internship.

WNY P-TECH is an all-day program housed in a state-of-the-art facility at 55 East Benton St., Dunkirk. Students enroll in P-TECH as ninth graders and follow one of four fields of study in Welding, Mechanical Technology with specializations in CADD, Machine Tool, or Mechatronics.

Upon completion of the program, students earn an associate degree through Jamestown Community College with no out-of-pocket expense. Scholar athletes can participate in after-school clubs and sports for their home district and join the P-TECH National Honor Society, Student Council, or Dream It Do It Club. Participating school districts provide transportation to the program daily.

WNY P-TECH is currently accepting incoming 9th-grade students for the 2023-24 school year. To learn more and see if it’s the right opportunity, eighth-grade students or their parents should contact William Smock, WNY P-TECH principal, at 672-3144 or email wsmock@e2ccb.org.