DETROIT (WXYZ) — Detroit Public Schools Community District unveiled an 11,000-square-foot career technical education annex at Southeastern High School, designed to provide students with hands-on experience in trades and advanced manufacturing.
Watch Meghan Daniels' video report:
The new facility features a welding lab, computer numerical control lab, and collaborative learning areas aimed at giving students real-world opportunities beyond traditional classroom learning.
"In the end, we're not going to rebuild the city if we're not rebuilding neighborhoods, and you can't rebuild neighborhoods if you're not rebuilding schools," said Dr. Nikolai Vitti, superintendent of Detroit Public Schools Community District.
Maurice El-Amin, principal at Southeastern High School, said the annex provides students with different career options after graduation.
"It just gives them a different option upon completion of high school, what they might want to go into," El-Amin said.
The program offers students exposure to various career paths before they make decisions about college, careers, or entrepreneurship as seniors.
"It will give them a leg up with exposure so they have a better idea of what they want to do once they become seniors and start making those decisions, whether it's college or career or entrepreneurship," El-Amin said.
For senior A'niyah Ellis, the program represents easier access to career exploration.
"I feel like it's easier access," Ellis said.
Ellis expressed interest in pursuing trade work and plans to attend a two-year community college to explore her options.
"I do want to do trade…I just find it fascinating, and I want to do it for me," Ellis said. "A 2-year community college because I'm not really sure if I want to go to college yet, so that's just to test it out and see what I want to do in life."
Ellis noted that many of her classmates wish the program had been available earlier in their high school careers.
"The 12th graders already wish they had this chance," Ellis said.
District leaders believe the annex will benefit both students and the broader Detroit community by preparing graduates for the workforce and encouraging local economic growth.
"This is a great example of investing in our youth, in our neighborhoods, in our community," Vitti said. "Long term, we're going to see students more prepared for college, the world of work in particular. We're going to see Southeastern's enrollment continue to grow."
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
