North Farmington High School

Congratulations to NC3’s first School on the Rise recipient of 2023, North Farmington High School! Located just outside of Detroit, Michigan, North Farmington High School has established an outstanding Snap-on certification program since joining NC3 in 2020. North Farmington High School continues to excel at providing their students with the resources they need to become a top-level candidate for both colleges and prospective employers.

“Offering NC3 Certifications to our high school provides our students with a structured curriculum at a nationwide standard. That means that they’ve met that benchmark and can take their knowledge with them anywhere.” – Sean Reisforf, Automotive Teacher at North Farmington High School

Since joining NC3 in 2020, North Farmington High School’s automotive students have earned over 200 industry-recognized certifications. With automotive being one of the largest industries in the area, North Farmington High School is providing their students with the tools they need to stand out among the competition. We had the pleasure of speaking with Sean Reisdorf, North Farmington’s Automotive Teacher to learn more about their successful certification program. 

After spending 10 years in the automotive industry, Sean Reisdorf transitioned into education in 2006 to help prepare future generations of automotive technicians. Pairing his vast industry knowledge with NC3 certifications equips North Farmington High School students with the skills they need to enter their chosen career path with confidence; whether that be continuing on to post-secondary education or employment in the field. 

North Farming High School began offering NC3 Certifications in their automotive program in an effort to bolster their students’ qualifications. Sean says,

“I had seen NC3 [Certifications] being used at other schools and, especially after 10 years teaching for Chrystler, I realized how important it was to give our students a certifiable education, not just by a shop teacher spewing their industry knowledge. We began with the [Snap-on] Multimeter Certifications and grew from there.” 

On top of offering certifications to his students, Sean explains the importance of NC3 Certifications being industry-recognized. He explains,

“Any school can write a certificate for their students but that’s, essentially, a participation ribbon. With NC3 Certifications, every automotive employer can recognize Snap-on. Even if they don’t know what the certification means, they know it has relevance and the [job candidate] would have had exposure to industry standards.”

With a real-life approach to teaching automotive, North Farmington High School students know exactly what to expect when entering the workforce. Graduates are equipped with both the knowledge and experience to gain successful employment, many of which Sean is still in contact with today. He says,

“I think one thing that makes our school stand out is that our students are learning automotive at the dealership level. We go beyond a hobby shop environment to where our advanced class is literally a live shop setting. I stay in touch with a lot of my former students who pursued automotive careers who are now making upwards of $150k. Many of which have told me our automotive program saved them from dropping out of school.”

To build upon North Farmington High School’s real-world method of teaching, students also participate in resume building exercises and job interview projects to prepare them for successful employment. Sean explains,

“During the pandemic, we started doing mock interview projects where students would skype with local employers to do pretend job interviews. That has transformed this year into a job fair where the students will interview with employers for real job positions.”

Not only that, but North Farmington High School students can look forward to the return of work-based learning opportunities! 

“We’re reestablishing our school’s former Co-op Program where students would work at local businesses for a portion of the school day. Not only would they be earning NC3 Certifications but they would also have the opportunity to get some dealership training. With that and our live shop setting in the classroom, it makes our program more beneficial for our students than your typical shop class.”

So, what’s next for North Farmington High School?

The staff at North Farmington High School are proud of the direction their programs are going. For the future, they hope to continue making a positive impact on the lives of their students. They hope to continue making improvements to the automotive program and be able to offer their students more of the certifications they need before joining the workforce or enrolling in college. Sean says,

“The perfect plan would be to offer all of the certifications that a student would need before they enroll at college. That would save them a ton of time and cost in their pursuit if they decide to go to college. I believe that all NC3 Certifications can and should be taught at the high school level to best equip students for their chosen pathways.”

Congratulations, once again, to North Farmington High School! We could not be more proud to honor you as NC3’s January 2023 School on the Rise and we are looking forward to supporting your continued success in Career and Technical Education!

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Stay tuned for our next School on the Rise recipient in February 2023!
Questions about NC3’s School on the Rise? Please contact Erika Staackmann, Customer Success Coordinator, 847.533.6985, Erika.Staackmann@nc3.net