During his time at South High School, senior Tyler Skaggs has taken advantage of numerous opportunities to explore potential career options and learn valuable skills through participation in the Red Raider Manufacturing program.

Tyler’s transcript includes an impressive number of Tech Ed courses: Intro to Engineering, Principles of Engineering, and Civil Engineering, all through Project Lead the Way, as well as Power Mechanics, Advanced Power Mechanics, and Electronics. He is currently enrolled in Advanced Metals.

Tyler can also add on-site work experience with co-op and youth apprenticeship positions in the community to his resume. He’s worked at American Orthodontist, Van Horn Automotive, and Kohler Hospitality.

“All three were very welcoming,” Tyler said, “and different from one another with different amounts of structure and responsibility.”

Tyler’s experience had him working at a manufacturing job with a large amount of responsibility and structure at American Orthodontist as well as Van Horn Automotive, which also requires a higher level of responsibility but in a more laidback and independent environment. At Kohler Hospitality, Tyler worked outdoors on the golf course.

In addition to the Advanced Metals course, Tyler is also taking Science Fiction, Psychology, and a physical education class during the first term of his senior year.

“The Red Raider Manufacturing experience is a good way to learn skills that will save you money in the future,” Tyler said, “from learning how to work with wood, metal, electronics, and automobiles to advanced basics in CAD.”

The Sheboygan Area School District offers over 60 high school courses for college credit, including 15 in the Technology curricular area. The Advanced Metals course is designated for Advanced Standing, meaning technical college credits are earned by the high school students and will be awarded upon entry into a post-secondary school.

Tyler plans to study automotive at Lakeshore Technical College and continue to work at Van Horn while taking state certification courses to become a firefighter.

Red Raider Manufacturing is a program that launched at both South High School and North High School in 2016 with the opening of the state-of-the-art Kohler | Johnsonville Advanced Technology labs. The program provides both classroom instruction and hands-on, authentic learning opportunities with high-tech manufacturing and engineering tools.