REDFORD TOWNSHIP, Mich. – Lee M. Thurston High School in Redford offers students hands-on lessons in welding and other skilled trades. These programs go beyond textbooks to prepare students for high-demand jobs.
Graduates from Thurston’s programs often enter the workforce immediately in entry-level positions, thanks to the industry-recognized credentials they earn and the leadership and competition opportunities they participate in during their studies. The school has partnerships with local employers that enable students to gain work experience and build connections in their fields.
Welding is emphasized as a vital trade, with instructors highlighting its importance in everyday life -- from the clothes people wear to the buildings they see around them. Students learn how welders play a key role in constructing the infrastructure that supports communities and industries.
Thurston High’s skilled trades programs not only teach technical skills but also foster pride and a sense of purpose among students, preparing them for successful careers in Michigan’s growing skilled trades workforce.
“We have several students who graduated last year who are actually working in their field because all of the programs are designed so that students have a wide variety of options when they graduate,” Bethany Harris, CTE Administrator, Thurston High School, said.
Students here can earn industry-recognized credentials and work for local employers through various partnerships.
“Normally, when I kick off the class, I’ll express how important welding is basically, like the clothes on your back. If not for welders welding the machines together, we wouldn’t have clothes on our back, right? So that alone and the building structure,” said Thurston High School Welding Instructor Kevin Cartwright.
That sense of pride is something students here understand well.
Seniors like Yahir Rios are already putting those lessons to work.
He’s part of a work-based learning program at Roush Industries, and recently won the “Build in Detroit” competition.
“Now that I’ve gotten into welding, I know this is something I want to do,” said Rios. “There’s so much to it. So much to learn. Some stuff may be a little dangerous, but it’s very fun to do.”
Younger students are also getting in on the action.
Thurston High School Junior Ryan Ochoa is preparing to compete in the upcoming Iron Workers High School Welding Invitational later this month.
“I just like hands-on work, like creating something from zero to actually having a finish,” said Ochoa. “And I think that’s really the big idea of welding. You’re starting from nothing. Putting something together to make it a whole structure.”