Students in Crown Point High School’s Precision Machining program will soon benefit from new, industry-grade equipment made possible through a Perkins Reserve Grant for the 2026–2027 school year.

The grant will allow Crown Point High School to add one vertical mill and one lathe to its Precision Machining lab, giving students greater access to modern tools and supporting continued growth in a pathway that prepares learners for skilled trades and advanced manufacturing careers. Upon graduation, CPHS students will be well prepared to step directly into entry-level positions across a wide range of high-demand manufacturing industries, many of them right here in our surrounding communities.

The upgraded machines include digital readouts that help students build skills used in today’s manufacturing environments. The grant also supports updated curriculum alignment with Vincennes University through the Tooling U-SME platform. As a result, students can graduate as Precision Machining program concentrators with up to 11 dual credit hours and the opportunity to earn NIMS and or Tooling U-SME industry certifications. With the new equipment, CPHS can increase the number of students in the program who continue to receive these certifications.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that each year over the next decade, there will be about 34,200 job openings for machinists, largely due to retirements. As Indiana continues to be a national leader in manufacturing, the need will be much more condensed. It is critical that CPCSC continues its commitment to pathways that let our students enter the workforce with the skills needed to meet this growing demand.

CPCSC thanks Diana Smith (Director of Grants & Assessments), Lynn Alkire (CPHS Associate Principal), and Bob Phelps (CTE Director at Southlake Career Co-op) for their work in writing this competitive grant for our students.