Charles V. Tines / The Detroit News Andrew Reimann, a Rochester Adams senior, uses UniGraphics to design cars at GM Tech Academy. His favorite car? A 1963 Corvette.

Oakland:

Districts team up with GM Tech Academy

By Mark Hornbeck / News Lansing Bureau

    AUBURN HILLS — Michelle Zirngibl had a notion she wanted an engineering career. But she wasn’t sure, until she spent a couple of semesters at the GM Tech Academy.

    “The program at GM Tech told me that I wanted to pursue engineering,” said the Bloomfield Hills Lahser High School senior. “I still don’t know what type of engineering I want to get into yet, but at least I know what field I’m interested in.”

    Zirngibl is among the 44 students at GM Tech, a career-technical partnership between General Motors and the Oakland Intermediate School District.

    Students from nine Oakland County high schools sign up to attend for 21/2 hours a day, for two years. They work in teams to design and build electric cars and then race them. They also participate in a summer internship program at the giant automaker for up to six weeks. Some of them do actual design work at GM.

    “It’s more than just engineering. They even allowed me to teach a few classes,” said Andrew Reimann, a senior in the program from Rochester Adams High School.

    Duane Kluesner, teacher and coordinator at the Academy, said the program prepares students to pursue engineering degrees at two-year community colleges or four-year universities. They’re also qualified to get engineering-related jobs right out of high school.

    “A lot of the tier one companies have picked up our kids, the smaller suppliers to the Big Three,” Kluesner said. “Those are pretty good jobs.”

    Reimann said it makes more sense to him to take a career-related course than to sign up for other high school electives.

    “It’s better to take a class in a field I’m getting into instead of ancient Egyptian astrology, or something like that,” he joked.