From Classroom to Career: CCISD CTE Partnership Forges Real World Opportunities for Local Student
HANCOCK, MI (2025) – For some students, the path to a fulfilling career looks different than a traditional classroom and instead with the hands-on experience of a real-world job. For Connor Williams, a student in the Copper Country Intermediate School District’s (CCISD) Career & Technical Education program, that path is being welded, formed, and fabricated through a unique youth apprenticeship at Great Lakes Sound and Vibration (GLSV).
This opportunity is the result of a powerful partnership between the CCISD, GLSV, and UP Michigan Works!, creating a pipeline that connects students directly with local employers and provides the support needed for them to succeed.
Connor, a Senior at Houghton High School and student in the CCISD CTE Welding and Manufacturing class, has always had an interest in working with his hands.
“Ever since he was really young, he has always wanted to build with metal,” explained his father, Jeff Williams. This passion led him to enroll in the CTE program where he has consistently excelled.
The apprenticeship has transformed his connection to education. “We saw him even more interested in school and excited,” Williams said. “He was thrilled to go to school; it really changed his interest.”
Remarkably, Connor took the lead in securing this opportunity himself. After hearing about the possibility, he reached out to his CTE instructor, Peter Murr. “He kind of did it all himself,” his father said.
At GLSV, Connor spends his time prepping materials for projects by forming, cutting, and cleaning parts. He enjoys the hands-on nature of the work and the satisfaction of seeing a project come to life.
“You get to see things get put together,” Connor said. “It’s an art doing that stuff, it’s really fun.” He credits the CTE program with helping him turn his long-held interest into a real-world opportunity.
“It’s been something that I’ve been interested in for a while, and now that I’ve been able to get into it through the school and through CTE, it makes it a lot easier and it’s an awesome experience,” he said.
Building Tomorrow's Talent Today
The CTE program offers students several ways to gain valuable, hands-on experience, including both work-based learning opportunities and registered apprenticeships. While both pathways connect students with local employers and provide critical real-world experience, the structure of a registered apprenticeship allows students like Connor to take on more advanced tasks beyond the school day, while keeping status as a student learner. Because of specific agreements with the U.S. Department of Labor, apprentices can often engage in production work with equipment and machinery outside of school hours and summers, significantly accelerating their skill development.
According to Ben Jaehnig, Production Manager at Great Lakes Sound and Vibration, the registered apprenticeship model made sense for Connor. A growing sound and vibration engineering and manufacturing solutions company in the Copper Country, GLSV has a long history of working with the CCISD Career and Technical Education Program.
“There’s a lot of things that students just under a work permit aren’t able to do,” Jaehnig explained. “They’re not able to run grinders or forming equipment or any of the fabrication work that we do here.”
Under the apprenticeship, Connor is fully engaged in the production process. He is learning to operate brake presses, stamping presses, rollers, and tubing benders—all while making functional parts for finished products. This year-round, hands-on training accelerates his skill development far beyond what a summer job could offer.
The program is a direct investment in the company’s future workforce. Jaehnig praised the caliber of students from the CTE program, explaining that a previous student became a full-time TIG welder immediately after graduation. “By the time that they’re able to work full-time, he’s already up to a similar pace as the guys that have been doing it for a year or two,” he said.
The program that makes this apprenticeship possible is managed by UP Michigan Works!, which acts as an intermediary for the U.S. Department of Labor. Megan Boddy, Talent Pipeline Manager at Michigan Works! explained that they handle the administrative side, which is a major benefit for small to medium sized businesses that may not have the capacity to manage a full-time apprenticeship program.
Michigan Works! also provides crucial support for the apprentice. “We provide him with supportive services,” Boddy said, noting that they helped purchase a welding helmet and boots for Connor. Their role is to ensure that everyone has what they need to succeed.
This collaboration is vital for regional prosperity. “We’ve got this declining, aging workforce, and we need to keep our youth here as much as we possibly can by providing these viable job opportunities,” Boddy said.
This partnership aligns with the CCISD’s mission to prepare students for future learning success, whether they choose college or the workforce or other pathways.
“Connor’s story is a powerful example of what we strive for in Career and Technical Education,” said Corey Soumis, CCISD CTE Director. “Our goal is to create meaningful connections between our students and local industries. When a student can apply their classroom knowledge in a real-world setting, it not only supports their learning but also solidifies their career path. This partnership with GLSV and Michigan Works! is a model for how we can build a strong, local workforce for the future.”