Extra Credit: Carol McKinny - Lake County Tech Campus
Need to know: Project Lead the Way instructor for more than a year. Carol McKinny taught for four years before coming to the Lake County Tech Campus, and worked in industry for 14 years before beginning her teaching career.
Q. How has teaching industrial technology changed over the past five or 10 years?
A. Ten years ago there were very few engineering programs like Project Lead the Way offered to high school students in Illinois. Now students in Lake County have access to engineering programs and other "high tech" programs through their home school or through Tech Campus. This has given an opportunity for more students to explore industrial technology. The idea of traditional industrial technology programs is continuously evolving in high schools and at Tech Campus from construction trades to welding fabrication to Project Lead the Way. Tech Campus promotes opportunities for students in career areas that are exciting to specific interests of all high school aged students.
Q. What are some of your secrets for preparing students who may not be headed to college for successful careers in the workforce?
A. Employers need people who can think critically, solve problems, justify their results, and work well with others. These are important skills students gain from the PLTW curriculum. Introduction to Engineering Design focuses on the engineering design process. Each project simulates a real world environment with a client, an end user, and design constraints. Students must work together to solve a problem. Each of my students, regardless of their future plans, has felt success and gained valuable life skills that will benefit them in whatever field they choose. As students progress through the PLTW program at Tech Campus, they also gain technical skills such as CAD design, C programming, and CNC programming, which are marketable skills even without a college degree. Our programs build on each other. Students who would like to pursue engineering can continue on the PLTW pathway and those that have more of a manufacturing interest can pursue our Mechatronics program. Both programs help to further the individual learners interests and pursuit of a career.
Q. What's the greatest myth about students in industrial technology courses?
A. I think there might be a misconception that students who attend Tech Campus are not college bound, but this is false. In my program most students plan to attend college. Many of my students have already decided to pursue engineering majors in college while others are curious about the fields of engineering and manufacturing and choose PLTW at Tech Campus to explore their options. Students in many programs at Tech Campus earn dual credit and various certifications which give them a head start on their future. Our partnership with the College of Lake County is important in helping students that may not think college is for them. It gives an opportunity to explore a career while still in high school that earns dual credit. This helps students to either prepare immediately for the workforce or to continue their paths in the postsecondary arena with a head start over others that did not take a dual credit program.
Q. You can work at any manufacturing facility in the world. Where do you want to go and what do you want to do?
A. If I was to choose a manufacturing facility, I would choose a facility that manufactures biomedical devices. I would be the engineer that programs and controls the manufacturing robotics systems. However, I love teaching students at Tech Campus and am just as excited to see our students pursue their dreams of going into the manufacturing world or any other career opportunity that brings them joy and fulfillment.