The students return to their home schools every afternoon for additional courses, just like students in other Traverse Bay Area Intermediate School District programs. The Academy includes an extensive lab created through a business and industry partnership. Students spend at least a month at each lab station, which also gives them a chance to work with quality assurance, computer numeric control and automated material handling.
Most technical colleges look favorable on experience like that.
Students pace themselves in the lab and tackle real problems they would face in related industries, such as virtual machine tool design. English, technical writing and public speaking courses round out the curriculum, teaching them to communicate effectively. You get a lot of work time and really have to motivate yourself. Internships, mentors and job shadowing are central to the real-word experience emphasized at the Academy. In fact, students must pass a rigorous application and interview process before being admitted to the Academy, just as in the real world.