In a hands-on career field still dominated by men, 17-year-old Aniah Jones stands out — not only because she’s one of the few girls in her advanced manufacturing class at
Allegan Area ESA Tech Center, but because she’s already planning how to expand her family’s computer numerical control (CNC) machining business.
Aniah, a junior, is part of the Manufacturing Careers Technology program, which offers an updated approach to career and technical education designed to put students on the path for in-demand jobs in machining, CNC, and advanced manufacturing.
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Tanner Jones is studying advanced manufacturing class at Allegan Area ESA Tech Center.
With employers across Michigan struggling to fill skilled trades positions, the program offers a real solution: train students while they’re in high school and help them move straight into careers.
For Aniah and her brother Tanner, a senior in the program, it’s also about legacy.
“My dad started his business back in 2016. My eldest brother Cameron joined this class and graduated in 2022. Then Tanner joined, and now I’m in it,” she says.
Already experienced
Their father, Aaron Jones, a U.S. Army veteran and former Perrigo employee, now owns
Rogue CNC Machining in Grand Rapids, which produces custom parts for aerospace, military, and commercial clients. He has been impressed by the Tech Center program.
“The program breaks down the basics every machinist should have and the basic building blocks employers need,” he says.
Jones says a graduate of the class, Zach Jablonski, is working at his shop and is “awesome to work with,” while Aniah, Cameron, and Tanner "exhibit that same drive and have unlimited potential.”
Aniah says she worked in her father’s shop last summer, running mills, while her brother learned the lathes.
“I plan to build the business up. I want to run all the mills inside the shop,” she explains.
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Steve Potter in the classroom at the Allegan Tech Center.
Aniah also hopes to attend trade school to learn machine programming, an increasingly valuable skill in a field where automation and robotics are transforming the landscape.
“I looked at it and it was like creation,” she says. “You’re creating a whole new part you’ve never seen before with just a cutting tool. It’s very satisfying.”
Steve Potter, who leads the Manufacturing Careers Technology program, says Aniah is one of his top students.
“She’s a cracker jack,” Potter says. “You can tell she’s been around her dad’s shop. She’s not afraid of the machines, and she wants things pretty much spot on.”
Potter, a former machinist turned elementary teacher who returned to the trades, maintains the program to meet industry demand and student interests. He changed its name from Machining and CNC to Manufacturing Careers Technology to better communicate its relevance, a move that increased enrollment by 30%.
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Aniah Jones trains on CDC machinery with teacher Steve Potter.
“Counselors didn’t even know what machining or CNC was,” Potter says. “Now, more students, especially hands-on learners, are seeing the opportunity.”
Attention to detail
While the program has traditionally enrolled more boys than girls, Potter says female students often excel.
“They’re usually my top students because they are detail-oriented and really good at making precise parts,” he says.
That precision matters. Aniah explains that her projects are graded down to the thousandths of an inch. She recently earned a 95% on one project.
“It’s very technical. There’s a lot of math involved,” she says. “We’re learning different ways to cut material, safe cutting practices, speeds and feeds, and RPMs.
And we’re also learning professionalism, including how to write a resume and present yourself.”
For Aniah, who admits she’s not a fan of traditional school despite earning A’s and B’s, the Tech Center is her favorite part of the school day.
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Tanner Jones perfects his skills in the Manufacturing Careers Technology program.
“You walk into the classroom, get ready, put on your safety gear like glasses and an apron, then go out to work and just hope you don’t mess up your part,” Aniah says.
The class also offers a head start on college credits. Students earn direct credit through Lake Michigan College in subjects like industrial safety and CAD/CAM, skills that are directly tied to the jobs they’re preparing for.
“They don't have to go to college and invest money,” Potter says. “The companies will pay for their schooling, and they'll never have any college tuition to pay back.”
It’s a message that resonates with Aniah.
“Hopefully I won’t even need to pay for my education, or I’ll get paid while I learn,” she says. “I really want to learn programming so I can program the machines for the parts we need. I’ve known since 2017 that I wanted to do this. I visited the shop, worked for maybe an hour just to see what it was like, and I loved it.”
Photos courtesy of Allegan Area ESA Tech Center.