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Aberdeen board hears ATEC update: 1,425 students, new welding robotics and expanded EMT training
Summary
ATEC leaders told the Aberdeen School District 06-1 board that enrollment in career and technical education remains strong, the center received new welding and robotic equipment via Perkins funding, and EMT/EMR students are doing ride-alongs and patient assessments as the program shifts toward hands-on training.
The Aberdeen School District 06-1 board on March 1 heard a report from the ATEC program that outlined steady student participation, recent equipment purchases and expansion of hands-on health-care training.
Mister Pudwill told the board “the numbers of students rotating through ATEC this year was about 1,425 students.” He said that figure was slightly lower than the prior year because expanded EMT/EMR courses reduced the number of freshman health sections that ATEC counts in its totals.
Pudwill described new equipment the center received through an innovative-equipment award that is part of the state-administered Perkins grant: “We received 19 new welders, 3 virtual welding kits, and 1 robotic welder,” he said, and added that the gear arrived in October and has been integrated into instruction.
On emergency-care training, Pudwill said the program is shifting from classroom-only instruction toward clinical experience: students now complete a minimum of 10 ride-along hours with the Aberdeen Fire Department, must perform 10 patient assessments and be evaluated on at least three accurate sets of vital signs. Pudwill said he expects about six students to take the national certification exam this year.
ATEC is also sending students to statewide competitions and career events. Pudwill said eight students will compete at the SkillsUSA state contest this April in Mitchell Tech in construction, auto maintenance and welding. He told the board the center hosted a career fair sponsored by the Aberdeen Chamber of Commerce and will run an Ag Day career fair using the same rotating format.
Board members asked about the building trades projects; Pudwill said the current school-year project — two cabins for Wiley Park built by students — will be completed by the end of the year and will be the last cabins for a while because of material costs. He said the district will look for new, appropriately scaled projects rather than returning to house construction.
Welding and machine tool instructor Mike Lillis and student Cole Dunleavy joined the presentation. Lillis described how the program teaches both traditional welding processes and newer technology, including robot-assisted welding and CAD/CAM workflows. Dunleavy, a sophomore, told the board that ATEC “has basically changed my life” by providing access to equipment and instruction he did not have at his home school.
Pudwill noted a governor’s visit last week to the center and said that such attention highlights local industry partnerships and potential student employment pathways. He told the board the emphasis next year will be keeping current classes and refining instruction rather than adding new courses, given budget constraints.
Board members praised instructors and students for program growth and for connecting CTE instruction to employment opportunities in the region.
