School / Business Partnerships
Region 16 - Boldly innovating programs to ensure students are prepared for college, career, and life by integrating
evolving technologies to support high quality teaching and learning of 21st century employable skills.
evolving technologies to support high quality teaching and learning of 21st century employable skills.
Did you know that CT is also called the “State of Small Businesses” ?
- This is due to its over 350,000 small businesses who employ almost 750,000 people.
- In fact, over 99.4% of all businesses in CT are small businesses employing 48.5% of CT’s workers.
What this means statistically- is that most Woodland graduates will be employed in a small business.
In addition, most of the Region 16 community are already self-employed small businesses (SB) or residents who work for a SB.
Student Benefits to Participating in a School/Business Partnership:
- Gain a realistic and authentic understanding of the workplace
- Learn about the skills and training their career aspirations require including hands on skills, along with soft skills
- Gain a “leg up” over the competition with employable skills
- Introduced to a range of career choices (business leadership, accounting, manufacturing)
- Apply the knowledge they’ve acquired in the classroom
- Become more motivated to learn after seeing “real-life” applications of their academic knowledge
- Less likely to drop out of school
- Learn from a variety of positive role models
- Have actual experience running a small business while still in high school
Woodland Metal Works LLC - A Precision Axe Company
A partnership between Woodland High School's Principles of Marketing & Advanced Manufacturing and Precision Axes LLC
An interdisciplinary student-operated & led small business specializing in Precision Throwing Axes & other custom metal products.
Who is Precision Axes LLC?
Precision Axes LLC is a family owned and operated American manufacturer out of California by Craig and Sheri Pinkerton.
- Precision Axes specializes in light weight, double bit throwing axes used in timbersports.
- Precision is the only manufacturer of competition throwing axes in North America.
- A more affordable option to what is available since they are not forged.
What is Woodland Metal Works?
Woodland Metal Works is a student-led small business using Precision’s “process” to create Precision Axes for the high school timbersports community along with other custom metal products.
Interdisciplinary Components of the Woodland Metal Works LLC
The interdisciplinary program is made up of two separate, yet interconnected programs. Principles of Marketing is the operations half of a student-led small business among other projects.
- Principles of Marketing (M)
- Responsible for the operations side of the business
- Includes marketing, sales, website operations, social media outreach, shipping, and accounting.
- Advanced Manufacturing (AM)
- Responsible for manufacturing axes (CNC plasma cutter, MIG welding, metal grinding, powder coat painting), product testing, and production of other timbersport related products.
What the interdisciplinary program looks like in practice?
- While both programs will complete other projects throughout the year, during shared “business” days- both programs will meet for a “company meeting”.
- Each program will present updates, goals, or issues to be resolved through company decisions.
- Depending on that day’s business, each program will “break” back to separate classrooms to continue that day’s business goals or continue collaborating on shared goals.