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HTEC
The Provincial Secondary School Bilzen in, Munsterbilzen, Belgium, a certified HTEC (Haas Technical Education Centre) near the Dutch border city of Maastricht, says its Haas machines offer benefits to students and local industry that go way beyond what ordinary colleges can provide. What’s more, the Haas machines are so rewarding to use that students who are not academically inclined, positively excel when running a Haas CNC machine tool.
When the HTEC is ready, the students will appear - [approx. 770 words]
At one time, a future for The Provincial Secondary School Bilzen (PSSB), Belgium, as a possible Haas Technical Education Centre looked decidedly unlikely. But in November 2014, the hard work, determination and tenacity of its teachers and governors paid off. Neither the school nor the students have looked back since.
“We wanted to become an HTEC some years ago, but were told it was not possible in our workshop,” explains Luc Valkeneers, Technical Director at PSSB. “The HTEC criteria are very strict. So, we made some significant changes and last year went to an HTEC conference in Denmark, during our holiday. This was a good step forward as it demonstrated to Haas our keen interest. To our delight, we got the agreement to become an HTEC, and opened in November last year.”
PSSB invested in its first Haas machine around 10 years ago. Today, the workshop has three models: two CNC machining centres and a CNC lathes.
“We can make anything here – we have the machines for it, the only thing we need is imagination,” says mechanics teacher Danny Van de Voorde, who oversees the Haas machines.
All of the products made in the HTEC are actually used in a real life application – a project called Mobile Schools (). Mobile School NPO is a Belgian organisation dedicated to helping street children throughout the world by offering mobile school carts and training local street workers. The machined parts required for Mobile Schools are made at PSSB, using Haas machines.
“We have already supplied the parts for 38 Mobile Schools on four continents: Latin America, Asia, Africa and Europe.” says Mr. Van de Voorde. “After 15 years we are now working on a new prototype to improve it even further. For instance, we have made a brake for the rear wheel. Sometimes, when we are discussing new parts, the students spot something that can make it easier or quicker to make – maybe something I hadn’t considered. When the student is becoming better than the master, what more can we ask?”
According to Mr. Van de Voorde, it only requires around three lessons to take a student from not working on a machine before, to making finished parts on the Haas.
“This is good because naturally, students want to see immediate results,” he says. “If it takes six months before they start to see components, they’re less likely to stick at it.”
Mr Valkeneers adds: “Since becoming an HTEC we are a very different workshop. We have modernised everything and made it a more professional environment. Other schools and colleges are a little jealous of our progress,” he smiles, “they have even made enquires about sending their students here to learn!”
Young people at PSSB work on the Haas machines for 2-3 years and leave at 18 years old, receiving a secondary school diploma at the end of their studies. In total, they spend 7 hours a week on the machines, as part of their course.
“Since becoming an HTEC, we’ve noticed that the students have become very keen to work,” says Mr. Valkeneers. “If they are engaged on a project and it isn’t finished, they often keep working well after school hours. Some days we have no lessons planned, but they show up anyhow and want to work on the machines. Some of the students that may have had problems with the more theoretical lessons, do really well when working on the Haas machines. This gives us, and them, great satisfaction.”
The reward for all students who graduate successfully from PSSB is the opportunity to find a position as a technician at one of the many local factories in the area. For instance, one company in nearby Genk, GMF Genker Machinenfabriek (also Haas user and keen advocate), started off by taking one PSSB graduate – a few years later, it now has five. The business only has 15 employees in total and now insists on only taking students from PSSB.
Thanks in part to the HTEC programme, PSSB is clearly able to increase the professional knowledge, skills and motivation of its students and allow them to connect with the needs of the local labour market. In turn, this ensures that companies in the region can grow, delivering a bright future for students and businesses alike.
For a school that at one time didn’t meet the standards required to become an HTEC, PSSB is now showing others exactly how it should be done.
END
For further information please contact:
MBMC – International Press and Publicity
+44 (0) 1603 283 601
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