He runs a high school shop class that is its own small business, Cardinal Manufacturing!

Tech Ed teacher Craig Cegielski of the Eleva-Strum School District in Wisconsin wasn't satisfied just doing the usual stuff when it came to teaching his students the craft and the business of machining. So he came up with an idea: make an actual business out of his upper-level students' work!

That's where Cardinal Manufacturing got its start, and now it's a functioning business that teaches not just machining, but other business skills like accounting, marketing, and fundamentals like how to dress, how to shake a client's hand, and how to address people in a business setting. Craig joins us for Episode 26 to tell us all about it.

Now Craig wants to see the idea spread all across the US, so he's also become an advocate and a speaker encouraging other school districts to follow his lead.

It's an absolutely amazing story, and one that's much-needed in today's manufacturing world, where we not only don't have enough skilled trades workers - we don't have enough work candidates, period!

Tune in and check out the whole thing.

This episode aired originally on YouTube on October 4, 2022.