Students Forge Ahead with ATECH

Students Forge Ahead with ATECH
Posted on 03/09/2020
The clang of the hammer on the anvil echoes through the classroom. Two ATECH students peer into the forge, watching the steel glow orange. They worked systematically over two class periods to make the top of a hammer.

It takes a lot of patience to make something from a simple metal rod. It takes teamwork too. One student holds the steel, occasionally inserting it back into the forge, while the other hammers the end to flatten and shape it.

These two students are both pursuing welding as a career, so they’re using their last few months of senior year to get more familiar with different techniques and equipment. One senior already has a full-time job lined up, courtesy of his apprenticeship, and the other plans to pursue a welding certificate at Fox Valley Technical College.

ATECH offers FVTC credits that directly transfer into the program of study that the student has chosen. The close relationship between FVTC instructors and ATECH instructors allows for a smooth transition to FVTC beyond high school.