Seven Saginaw County Schools Join PRIME Initiative

State Senator Ken Horn and 95th district State Representative Amos O’Neal joined Rob Luce, Vice president of the SME Education foundation, and his PRIME crew as the program is formally introduced at the Saginaw Career Complex (Photo- Ric Antonio; WSGW)

Seven schools within the Saginaw Intermediate School District have joined the S.M.E. Education Foundation PRIME school initiative with a grant from Michigan’s Marshall Plan for Talent.

Those schools include: The Saginaw Career complex, Heritage High school in Saginaw Township, Birch Run, Hemlock, Swan Valley, and Merrill.

Legislation signed into law in June 2019 created the partnership between educators and employers to improve Michigan’s talent pipeline.

Rob Luce, Vice president of the SME Education foundation, says the “Partnership Response In Manufacturing Education” or (PRIME) initiative gives schools a curriculum tailored to give students hands-on training on modern, industry-standard equipment.

Shelley Wooley, Director of Educational programs with S.M.E., says they actively research each area’s needs to input a curriculum that allows students to explore education more aligned with what local manufacturers are missing.

Since 2011, SME PRIME schools have been added in 63 communities across 22 states, with 17 PRIME schools now in Michigan and 16 more slated to begin within the next couple of years.