Pres. Obama's message strikes a chord with Milwaukee high school

MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- During his speech in Waukesha on Thursday, January 30th, President Barack Obama stressed the importance of exposing kids to careers in manufacturing -- and that message struck a chord with one Milwaukee high school.

Behind the walls at Bradley Tech High School, it's all about building, be it character, skills, or at the end of the day, a finished product.

Inside the classroom Thursday, Bradley Tech junior Cameron Webb and Bradley Tech senior Chris Moldenauer showed off a project six weeks in the making.

"Everyone had to work together to have everything come to fruition and work properly," Moldenauer said.

The ice-cream sundae assembly line took computer programming skills and teamwork to build.

"We had to collaborate with all of our other students," Webb said.

The students are part of a program that has taught them critical manufacturing skills in high school.

We're really able to bridge the gap between what the students are experiencing here and what industry is looking for and seeking out in the real world, so to speak," Bradley Tech Principal Jody Bloyer said.

It's an approach Bradley Tech has had for years, and an idea President Obama applauded in a speech at General Electric in Waukesha on Thursday.

"What you're doing at this plant and across this region can be a model for the country," President Obama said during his speech.

"It was another voice saying what our staff and students already know," Bloyer said.

It's knowledge the students are proud to have, working toward a successful future.

Bradley Tech is part of the Wisconsin Regional Training Partnership. The school is sponsored by big companies like Rockwell that allow students to see how what they learn in the classroom works in the real world.