Southwest Colorado Education Collaborative

Collaborative Brings ‘Equitable Access’ of Skilled Trades to Rural Colorado Students

The Southwest Colorado Education Collaborative has grown in size and scope, providing more resources and opportunities for students to hone their skills for potential entry into the trades.

Ignacio High School

Students taking woodworking classes at Ignacio High School are among those reaping the benefits provided by the Southwest Colorado Education Collaborative.

 

When Pathways checked in on the Southwest Colorado Education Collaborative (SWCEC) in Winter 2022, the innovative non-profit was still in the early stages of developing and sharing information and resources among its trade skills programs. That included shuttling shared-use industrial equipment from one program to another that none of the five small rural school districts could afford on its own. Two years later, the SWCEC has not only fine-tuned its approach to resource sharing, but it has also expanded to include four other area school districts, added career pathways, and embarked on a new program to partner with local businesses.

“The experiment is going pretty well,” says Molly Turner, a woodworking instructor at Ignacio School District. “It has been a learning experience to all. But every time we do an equipment rotation, training or anything else along those lines, our process gets better. We’re all trying to practice continuous improvement. The collaborative continues to grow and be able to provide more support and equipment to our community.”

“Our whole region is pretty rural,” Turner adds. “A huge goal of the collaborative is to bring equitable access for career readiness to all or our students. Because we are so remote, we don’t have the same resources that schools in Denver, Colorado and other front-range cities have. The collaborative has done a beautiful job of helping us bridge those physical gaps and make our small communities one large community so that we can share the resources we need to benefit our students.”

Ignacio High School Woodshop

The Collaborative’s Origins and Growth
The SWCEC was formed in 2019, with a $3.6 million RISE grant, by teachers and school administrators of five neighboring school districts who wanted to offer students in rural areas the same opportunities that are provided in metro areas. The founding members of the SWCEC include the school districts of Archuleta, Bayfield, Durango, Ignacio and Silverton, plus Pueblo Community College and Fort Lewis College.

The organization’s website boldly proclaims, “The Southwest Colorado Education collaborative strengthens diverse communities by providing pathways in career readiness and higher education to build 21st-century skills and economically viable futures.” The SECEC’s initial focus was exposing students to career pathways like environmental science and the building trades, including woodworking.

“Since our initial grant, we have brought in another $5 million of funding,” says Jessica Morrison, executive director of the SWCEC. “We welcomed four additional school districts (Dolores, Dolores County, Mancos and Montezuma Cortez) to the table to try out our model. We also used part of the grant to expand into three additional career and college pathways including health sciences, education and hospitality/tourism.”

Turner notes, “Expanding the number of school districts involved in the collaborative from five to nine has allowed me to make connections with some other woods teachers from the region, which has been helpful. I have been able to meet with them at professional development days and learn from them and show them what I’ve been doing at my program. As an example, the new teacher at Dolores went to design school in New York and is very proficient at CNC and 3D modeling within CNC programming. He did a workshop with us that improved my CNC skills so that I can teach my students better. We also have been able to share projects and curriculums.”

Ignacio High School WoodshopSpeaking of curriculums, Turner is a member of the National Woods Board, a new non-profit organization that is developing a scalable curriculum modeled after what was created for the Manufacturing Industry Learning Lab (MiLL) in Colorado Springs. That curriculum incorporates the Woodwork Career Alliance’s Skill Standards and Passport credentialing system to teach students woodworking skills that will make them workforce ready. Turner is an accredited skill evaluator of the WCA.

Mobile Learning Lab Update
The SWCEC’s investment in industrial equipment and a trailer to move it from one school to the next came to fruition for the 2021-22 academic year. The shared equipment includes a Maverick Legacy CNC router, a MakerBot 3D printer, and an Epilog Fusion Pro laser. The lessons learned from the first-year experience have led to changes in how the program is administered.

“We used to rotate all three pieces at one time between the schools,” Morrison says. “We got feedback from the instructors not to ‘dump’ all of the equipment at one school at a time because it was way too much. So, we went back and refined the program so that a school district only has one piece of equipment at a time.

“The movement of the equipment is very important,” Morrison continues. “We’ve all been working together to figure out how to make this dynamic process work better to make sure the equipment moves smoothly to our shops. This equipment is not meant to be traveling around to different locations. Our operations manager has continually worked to finetune the system. Some of the equipment needs to be recalibrated every time it moves, so we now have that in our budget.”

Ignacio High School Woodshop“We have successfully done two rotations under the new program at this stage,” Turner says. “We figured out a sustainable rotation that works for the teachers with the help of the collaborative’s staff to handle logistics. I currently have the Maverick CNC router in my shop. It is getting ready to move to Durango High School next week. The 3D printer, which is on a slightly faster rotation, arrived in my shop two weeks ago. The equipment has been fantastic for our students. When those machines are in my shop, I try to have them being used as much as possible.”

In addition to the mobile learning lab equipment, the SWCEC has created MyTurn, a shared small tool “library.” Teachers can go online and order things like hand tools for running an HVAC system, electrical trainers and more, Morrison says.

Partnering with Industry
Among the SWCEC’s latest initiatives is developing a two-way connection to partner with area manufacturers and businesses.

“One of the big things we heard from industry is that access to work-based learning opportunities for students like internships, apprenticeships and summer jobs is really hit or miss depending on what school the student attends,” Morrison says. “Our biggest school district, Durango, has about 2,000 students K-12, and our smallest, Silverton, has only 84. The smaller districts cannot afford to staff someone to actively seek out student work opportunities with local businesses. We also realized that each district had different policies, paperwork requirements, etc.

“As a response to removing those barriers, we recently created Career Launch Southwest, a region-wide website that connects all industry in one spot to all students, parents and educators in the collaborative,” Morrison continues. “This will provide more equitable access for students to engage in workplace learning opportunities. For example, a student in Molly’s class at Ignacio could go onto this platform, create an account and search for summer job opportunities in their field of interest. The platform is also for educators. Molly, for example, can build a profile to find industry professionals to speak in her classroom.”

“I’m really excited about the database because we are one of the smaller school districts (about 700 students),” Turner says. “I would love to offer internships for my manufacturing students, but there is only one of me. Having the support of the collaborative means that I can help my students develop their resumes and spend some time in class to guide them to the website. We know that all of the industry partners on the site are looking for students. They will be able to able to find them easier. It’s really going to streamline the process and open up opportunities for my students.”

Strength in Numbers
“When we come together collectively as one voice for the southwest region, we are able to bring more resources to our community, including millions in financial resources,” Morrison says. “As the first executive director of the collaborative my number one goal has always been equitable access to all students regardless of zip code.

Something that I’m really proud of is because of the facilitation the collaborative has done over the past three years, we’re seeing schools collaborate even outside of our space on things that have nothing to do with us. But I think we created the ground for that to happen. For instance, when a school district loses a teacher, they don’t call us first, they call their neighboring school district because we have helped foster cooperation among them. We’re now creating he interconnected we that is expanding what we do to the community.”

“This is good for our kids. It really is,” Turner says. “The collaborative has opened up communication lines and helped our student realize that they are part of a larger community than the southwest region because we are so spread out, we often think of ourselves as small little communities. It’s given our students the opportunity to be part of a larger community and everything from the inter-district job shadow field trips and the to the work-based learning opportunities that the collaborative organizes to sharing the equipment in our shops. Students are now getting to meet with-students of other school districts that they would not normally meet. There is a student advisory board that started this past fall to discuss what the collaborative is doing. It has made our community bigger and stronger than it was before.”

Learn more about the Southwest Colorado Education Collaborative.

Welcome New Members & Sponsors!


The Woodwork Career Alliance of North America is pleased to welcome the following new members and renewing sponsors.

Thank you for your membership and support!

New EDUcation™ Members
Cumberland County High School – Burkesville, KY
Dakota High School – Macomb, MI
Durango High School – Durango, CO
East Bladen High School – Elizabethtown, NC
Franklinton High School – Franklinton, NC
Juneau – Douglas High School – Juneau, AK
Rogers High School – Puyallup, WA

Find WCA EDUcation™ woodworking programs in your area.

New INDustry™ Gold Sponsors:
Richelieu America
, –Mt. Clemens, MI
Shaper Tools
– San Fransico, CA

Renewed INDustry™ Gold Sponsors
Blum,
Stanley, NC
Brown Wood
– Lincolnwood, IL
Panto Router
– Oregon City, OR
SawStop
Salem, OR
Smartech
Charlotte, NC

INDustry™ Silver Sponsor Renewals
Castle USAPetaluma, CA
Colonial Saw
Kingston, MA
Eagle Mouldings
Loretto, MN
IMA Schelling Group USA
Morrisville, NC
Super Thin Saws — Waterbury, VT

View all WCA INDustry™ Sponsors & Supporters.

Learn more about the benefits of becoming a WCA sponsor.

Will Sampson Woodworking Network Podcast

Woodworking Network Podcast Features WCA Pioneer Patrick Molzahn

Will Sampson, editorial director of Woodworking Network and FDMC magazine, kicked off Season 5 of his podcast series by interviewing Patrick Molzahn, retired director of Madison College’s Cabinetmaking and Millwork program and former member of the Woodwork Career Alliance Board of Directors.

In the podcast titled, “What Have You Learned Today?”, Molzahn talks about the value and process of continuing to learn new things throughout one’s life. The far-ranging discussion includes Molzahn’s views on the importance of woodworking companies to invest in training their employees and why the WCA was founded to help the wood products industry develop and grow a skilled woodworking workforce.

Listen to the podcast.

State of the Woodwork Career Alliance: Still Growing Strong

SkillsUSA National Cabinetmaking competition

WCA will continue its partnership with SkillsUSA, including state and national cabinetmaking competitions. (Photo by Kristine Cox, Rowland Woodworking)

LINCOLN, Neb. – The Woodwork Career Alliance of North America (WCA) continues to increase industry awareness and participation, while also developing new programs to help train the next generation of woodworkers. Woodwork career alliance passport credential

WCA issued a record-shattering 1,358 credentials in 2023, nearly 40% more than the number it awarded in 2022 (980) and double the 2021 total (686). The vast majority of the credentials were Sawblade and Core issued to high school and postsecondary woodworking students. A small, but growing number of Green, Blue and other credentialing levels were issued to woodworking professionals.

To earn a credential, the candidate must successfully be evaluated and tested on a variety of woodworking skills. The Sawblade Certificate, for example, covers layout and measurement, plus set-up and operation of a jointer, table saw, portable hand sander and drill press.

The skill achievements and credentials are recorded in the individual’s Passport. WCA registered 1,391 Passports in 2023, down slightly from 2022 (1,423) but more than double that of 2021 (686). To date, the WCA has enrolled more than 6,000 Passport holders, nearly half of them in the last two years.

“The record number of WCA credentials in 2023 isn’t just a statistic; it’s a seismic shift in our industry,” said Scott Nelson, president of the WCA. “Each credential signifies not just technical achievement, but a dedication to quality and safety. For employers, it’s the golden ticket to a reliable workforce. For individuals, it’s a passport to career advancement, increased wages, and a sense of pride in their craftsmanship. This milestone isn’t just about numbers; it’s about building a brighter future for woodworking, one credential at a time.”

2023 also saw the WCA record modest gains in the number of participating woodworking educators, wood products manufacturers, and sponsors.

“We now have more than 140 EDUcation members and more than three dozen MANufacturing members,” Nelson said. “In addition, we ended 2023 with 28 Gold and 22 Silver sponsors. Twenty-eight of those sponsors have helped fund WCA programs for the last three years or more.”

More 2023-24 Highlights
WCA concluded 2023 by initiating the development of online training modules that wood products companies will be able to use to supplement their in-house training programs. The online training courses, to debut early this year, are part of the WCA’s new emphasis to grow its MANufacturing membership base by offering new benefits to wood products manufacturers.

The WCA entered into a partnership with the National Woods Board (NWB), a new non-profit organization is developing a scalable curriculum to teach students woodworking skills that will make them workforce ready. The NWB’s education programs that incorporates the WCA Skill Standards and Passport credentialing system to teach students woodworking skills that will make them workforce ready.

WCA EDUcation members

More than 140 high school and postsecondary woodworking programs are EDUcation members of the WCA.

Representatives of the WCA presented a well-attended half-day workforce development workshop at the AWFS Fair focused on helping woodworking companies establish or enhance in-house training programs. The WCA will conduct a similar workshop at the International Woodworking Fair this August.

WCA continued its involvement with the SkillsUSA Cabinetmaking competition on both national and state levels. The annual contest brings state SkillsUSA student champs from around the country together for the ultimate showdown.

WCA celebrated the awarding of its second Diamond credential ever to Lizzy Conley, new director of Madison College’s Cabinetmaking & Millwork program.

Finally, WCA continued to expand its industry out-reach through news releases and the quarterly Pathways newsletter. A new-look Pathways will debut in February.

The WCA’s new programs and industry promotions are made possible by its sponsors. They include:

Gold Sponsors
AWI QCP • Blum • Brown Wood Products • Cantek • Daniels-Olsen • Diamond Vogel • Eagle Woodworking • Franklin Intl • Friulmac USA • KCD Software • Kerfkore • Newman Machine • NBMDA • PantoRouter • Rev-A-Shelf • Richelieu • Roseburg • SawStop • SCM Group USA • Shaper Tools • ShopBot Tools • Smartech • Stiles Machinery • Thermwood • Titebond •Wood-Ed Table by Mimbis • Woodworking Network • Wurth Group

Silver Sponsors
Aiken Controls • Air Handling Systems • Black Bros. • Brookhuis America •
C.R. Onsrud • Castle USA • Colonial Saw • Daubert Chemical • Deerwood Fasteners • Dynabrade • Eagle Mouldings • GDP Guhdo • Gemini-Coatings • Hafele America • IMA-Schelling • Leitz Tooling • Lockdowel • Microvellum Software • PaintLine • Sorrelli Woodwork Consultants • Super Thin Saws • Weima America

Learn more about WCA membership and sponsorship opportunities.

IWF 2024 Names WCA to the Industry Partners Alliance

woodworkers at IWFThe International Woodworking Fair (IWF) announced its 2024 Industry Partners Alliance (IPA). The Woodwork Career Alliance of North America is one of 15 leading wood products industry trade and professional associations representing thousands of members to be named an IPA member.

As an IPA member, WCA will receive exclusive preferred benefits to help facilitate its participation at the tradeshow and conference set for Aug. 6-9 at the Georgia World Convention Center in Atlanta.

The menu of IPA member benefits includes free booth space, discounted trade show registration, and promotion on the IWF website and in the IWF 2024 Digitial Show Directory and Show Daily.

IPA members include several organizations that are WCA INDustry Supporters:

— Woodwork Institute (AWI)
— Cabinet Makers Association (CMA)
— Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturers Association (KCMA)
— National Woods Board (NWB)
— North American Building Material Distribution Association (NBMDA)

Oher IPA participants of record include:
— AIMSAD – Turkish Woodworking Machinery Association
— Appalachian Hardwood Manufacturers, Inc.
— Association of Closet and Storage Professionals (ACSP)
— Decorative Hardwoods Association & Capital Testing
— Moulding & Millwork Producers Association (MMPA)
— The Powder Coating Institute
— Stairbuilders Manufacturers Association (SMA)
— Wood Component Manufacturers Association (WCMA)
— Wood Products Manufacturers Association (WPMA)

Learn more about IWF 2024 at iwfatlanta.com.

Pittsburg State University architectural woodworking

Applications for AWI Education Foundation Grants Close March 31

The Architectural Woodwork Institute Education Foundation (AWIEF) is accepting applications for its Academic Grant Program through March 31.

The AWIEF Academic Grant Program empowers schools specializing in architectural woodworking. Each year the program provides up to $100,000. The grant program prioritizes not-for-profit high schools and postsecondary schools that excel in architectural woodworking, emphasizing technological advancements and skillful craftsmanship.

Learn more and apply: AWIEF Grants: Empowering Woodworking Education.

Fox Valley Technical College Wood Manufacturing Technology program

Fox Valley Technical College Woodworking Program Slates 36th Annual Open House

Fox Valley Technical College Hands-on, High-Tech open house

Last year, Fox Valley Technical College hosted more than 50o area high school students at its Hands-on, High-Tech open house.

The Woodworking Technology program at Fox Valley Technical College (FVTC) in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, will hold its 36th annual Hands-On, High-Tech open house April 16 and 17.

FVTC, a founding EDUcation member of the Woodwork Career Alliance, is inviting instructors and students from every high school woodworking program within 100 miles of Oshkosh to participate in the event.

Groups of 25 or less at a time will tour the school’s 11,000-square-foot lab. Each group will progress through a series of activities led by FVTC. Each group’s 90-minute lab session will culminate with creating a finished product that each school group can take back with them.

Each group will then spend about 30 minutes in the Residential Building Construction program lab engaged in activities with that course. This year, FVTC will also host local employers and material suppliers in a job exposition that exposes high school students to the wide variety of jobs that are available locally. These jobs include everything from kitchen cabinetry and closets to aircraft and yacht interiors, spiral stairs, high-end architectural millwork, and furniture manufacturing opportunities.

FVTC hosted 32 groups with a total of 532 students over the two days of Hands On, High Tech open house last year.

For more information, contact FTVC instructors Mark Lorge at mark.lorge9989@fvtc.edu or Glenn Koerner, woodworking instructor at koerner@fvtc.edu.

Learn more about FVTC’s Wood Technology program.

Welcome New Members & Sponsors!


The Woodwork Career Alliance of North America is pleased to welcome the following new members and renewing sponsors.

Thank you for your membership and support!

New EDUcation™ Members
Cumberland County High School – Burkesville, KY
Dakota High School – Macomb, MI
Durango High School – Durango, CO
East Bladen High School – Elizabethtown, NC
Franklinton High School – Franklinton, NC
Juneau – Douglas High School – Juneau, AK
Rogers High School – Puyallup, WA

Find WCA EDUcation™ woodworking programs in your area.

New INDustry™ Gold Sponsors:
Richelieu America
, –Mt. Clemens, MI
Shaper Tools
– San Fransico, CA

Renewed INDustry™ Gold Sponsors
Blum,
Stanley, NC
Brown Wood
– Lincolnwood, IL
Panto Router
– Oregon City, OR
SawStop
Salem, OR
Smartech
Charlotte, NC

INDustry™ Silver Sponsor Renewals
Castle USAPetaluma, CA
Colonial Saw
Kingston, MA
Eagle Mouldings
Loretto, MN
IMA Schelling Group USA
Morrisville, NC
Super Thin Saws — Waterbury, VT

View all WCA INDustry™ Sponsors & Supporters.

Learn more about the benefits of becoming a WCA sponsor.

Exit Interview Video with Patrick Molzahn of Madison College

Patrick Molzahn Madison College

Patrick Molzahn’s days at Madison College’s Cabinetmaking & Millwork program are numbered.

Molzahn’s 25-plus years teaching career at the college will officially come to an end Dec. 31 when he retires. He has already turned over the program director’s reins of one of the nation’s most prestigious postsecondary woodworking programs to Lizzy Conley, one of the more than 400 students he taught.

In addition to his storied career at Madison College, Molzahn was a founding member of the Woodwork Career Alliance Board of Directors. He was instrumental in helping shape the WCA’s mission to develop and grow a skilled woodworking workforce by creating a credentialing system that career pathways to professional woodworkers. In addition, Molzahn helped craft the WCA Skill Standards and created numerous videos in the Training Resources that are available to EDUcation and MANufacturing members.

Molzahn was the first person ever to earn the WCA’s Diamond Credential. (Lizzy Conley, under Molzhan’s tutelage was the second.) He also authored the 5th and 6th editions of Modern Cabinetry, a textbook that thoroughly covers the how-to of woodworking.

In the accompanying video, Molzahn reflects on his time with the college and the Cabinetmaking program with Bryan Woodhouse, Dean of Technology & Trades. He also discusses his retirement plans, including lots of traveling, beginning with an adventure to Antarctica.

 

Scott Nelson president Woodwork Career Alliance of North America

President’s Message: Thank You Sponsors for Helping Us Make This a Record Year

As the end of the year is quickly approaching, I just want to thank all of the INDustry sponsors and partners for their continued support of WCA. Without their backing we would not be able to offer our future workforce updated education programs and credentialing services. Please try and support those businesses whenever possible.

2023 will go down as WCA’s best year ever! Through November, we enrolled over 1,200 candidates into the Passport program and have issued more than 1,100 credentials. Our retention of high school and postsecondary woodworking programs as EDUcation members and wood products firms as MANufacturing members is maintaining at about 80%.

Hopefully 2024 will see a significant increase of MANufacturing members with the introduction of online employee training modules early next year.

Finally, I’d be remiss not to express my personal thanks to Patrick Molzahn, who will be retiring from Madison College at the end of the year. Patrick was a major mover and shaker for the WCA from the very beginning. His contributions to our cause have been so many and varied. On behalf of the WCA, thank you Patrick and be well!

WCA wishes all an enjoyable Holiday Season and a Prosperous New Year!!!

Sincerely,

Scott Nelson
President
Woodwork Career Alliance of North America
snelsonwca@gmail.com