Multiple districts — The first time eighth-grader Hailey Nelson tried using a VRTEX virtual reality welding trainer, she struggled to keep her lines straight and consistent.
The simulator scored her key weld parameters, including work angle, travel angle, travel speed, distance and position. The computer and VR welding tool made real sounds, to help students respond and adjust their techniques.
Hailey’s teacher, Mike Rivers, encouraged her to watch the replay, identify what she could have done better and try again.
“This is so weird, but so cool,” she said about using the simulator. “I did way better on my second try. I scored a 28 the first time and then got a 62” out of 100.
Hailey is one of about 330 students in Kent, Ottawa and Muskegon ISD districts taking part in the Manufacturing and Engineering Education Reimagined for All program, a national K-12 initiative focused on introducing middle school students, grades 6-8, to careers in modern manufacturing and engineering.
Her school, Caledonia’s Duncan Lake Middle School, is hosting one of three pilot programs, and Kent ISD is the home of the MEERA Regional Training Center, the first fully-staffed center outside of MEERA’s Virginia headquarters.
“MEERA’s objective really boils down to two things,” said Tim Robertson, chief operating officer and co-owner of TECHnista, a Virginia-based consulting company that launched the MEERA program in 2024. “The first of those is we want kids to be aware of opportunities in manufacturing. We want them to be interested in these careers, and most importantly, we want them to know that the opportunity is in their backyard.”
The second goal, Robertson explained during the Oct. 30 ribbon-cutting ceremony for the training center, is to enhance technical competence.
“The MEERA program really prides itself and takes a very deliberate approach to make sure that we are delivering those competencies in a meaningful way, where students are more prepared as they make decisions about exiting from high school and ultimately into their career,” he said.
Kent ISD Superintendent Ron Gorman said the program connects to the Kent ISD’s Career Prep 2030 initiative to have 10,000 CTE experiences for students by 2030. To do that, Gorman said, the science, technology, engineering and math programs that offer hands-on opportunities like MEERA need to be offered to middle school and even elementary students.
Expanding Opportunities to Middle School
According to the Michigan Department of Education, Michigan was the first state to be awarded U.S. Department of Defense funding for the MEERA program.
After a competitive process, the department and its partners selected the regional collaborative between Muskegon, Kent and Ottawa counties as the site for Michigan’s inaugural MEERA Regional Training Center and pilot schools: Duncan Lake, Allendale Middle School and Charles Hackley Middle School in Muskegon.
Joe Lienesch, Kent ISD’s career readiness director, said the regional training center mirrors what is offered in the classroom, with both the center and pilot programs equipped with 3D printers, CNC machines, virtual welding tools like the VRTEX, and the Locktronics electronics learning system.
MEERA also provides a trainer who will help educators from the three counties learn how to implement and teach the curriculum, and access technical support.
“The idea with MEERA is that it grows pretty rapidly,” Lienesch said. “The goal is to build capacity to train people and scale up quickly while also providing the necessary resources.”
Caledonia Superintendent Dirk Weeldreyer said he thinks students should have hands-on learning opportunities earlier, but such programs have not been available until now.
“We were very excited to be able to be one of the pilot area schools to be participating in this program because we just really value the ability for students to get that hands-on learning experience,” Weeldreyer said.
Hands-on — A Big ‘Yes’
This school year, Duncan Lake is offering two sections of the nine-week MEERA elective. Principal Jaym Abraham said the goal for next year is to expand to five sections, creating space for 600 students and making the program accessible to all.
The reason for the expansion appeared clear during a recent visit. During one 50-minute class, every student was actively involved — either using the virtual welding trainer or working in groups to analyze weld photos and deciding whether they would pass or fail inspection.
“This one is perfect, no cracks or holes,” said seventh-grader Aikee Marr as he held up a photo. “If you’re trying to hold up a structure and the weld fails, it’s going to fall.”
Throughout the school year, instructor Rivers will teach nine units including additive manufacturing, which are the 3D printers; subtractive manufacturing, which are the CNC machines; plus robotics, manufacturing engineering, welding and workplace readiness. All units begin with a few days of learning background information and basic building blocks of each subject.
“My students come into this with so little knowledge,” Rivers said. “They learn tools and basics of these fields and work hands-on.”
For both seventh-graders Chuck Klein and Jorge Muñoz, being placed in the MEERA program was a happy accident.
“I didn’t choose to be in this class, but I’m grateful that I am because it’s really fun,” Jorge said, adding that it was a nice break from traditional classroom work.
Chuck said he enjoys making things, and the opportunity to be in the MEERA program has shown him how that passion could lead to a career.
The potential career opportunities is what impressed Jorge’s father, Jorge Muñoz.
“They are connecting them to careers by using gaming, which is what many students are doing now,” the senior Muñoz said. “It’s incredible. They enjoy it while they learn about it, and then they get to put it all together for a massive career. It’s totally awesome.”
Reporter Alexis Stark contributed to this story.
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