Write a commentFor three generations, N.E.T. & Die, Inc. has made an impact within CNY’s industrial landscape.
This female-led, family company is helping to shape a new generation of machinists and metalworkers in partnership with CiTi — while keeping local manufacturing strong, innovative and thriving.
Committed to craftsmanship and community, N.E.T. & Die is a Computer Numerical Control (CNC) machining business that specializes in CNC vertical and horizontal milling, with large part capabilities, and CNC turning with live tooling lathes. This company continues to invest in the next generation of skilled trades through real-world experience. This is in-part through the collaboration of CiTi’s Pathways in Technology Early College High School (P-TECH) program and their Career and Technical Education (CTE) program. Both programs are designed to allow high school and early adulthood students to gain exposure to career opportunities within the trades.
In reference to his experience at CiTi BOCES and working with N.E.T. and Die, student intern Isaiah says: “When I first took this class, it was more or less for my friends. But after a while, I really liked the class and it changed my perception on all of it [in reference to machining]... Not a lot of people get this opportunity at all and this is something that I want to do for my future, so getting started earlier is better.”
CiTi partners like N.E.T. & Die allow for experiential learning. Students get the chance to work directly with machinists, coordinate tooling, fixtures, parts, set up sheets, and staging, work with assemblies and watch the full life-cycle of major projects from start to finish. They do all of this in a welcoming environment that builds confidence.
CEO of N.E.T. and Die Michelle Shatrau spoke on the company’s culture saying, “We are trying to build a culture here – a team culture, a culture of people that want to grow. So we are very intentional about that…everyone is very willing to train and share their knowledge.”
Chloe Bonoffski is an example of the full-circle growth that is possible with the combination of a passionate business and applied learning outside of the classroom. Bonoffski was a P-TECH tudent that worked with N.E.T. & Die, and took Advanced Metal Manufacturing through CiTi CTE. She describes the usefulness of the partnership by saying: “When you don’t know what you want to do, it's like most people have to wait until college to figure out what they want to do and then they’re spending money on something that they don’t even know if they’ll like. Where with P-TECH, they will pay for you to figure out if this is what you want to do, and if it's not you don’t lose anything.”
Bonoffski has since graduated high school and has a paid position at N.E.T. & Die, in part because of her applied learning experiences and the professional relationships she was able to build within her program.
By offering hands-on learning through their partnership with CiTi BOCES, N.E.T. & Die, Inc is doing more than producing quality metalwork—it's creating opportunities to forge a better future toward tomorrow.
For more information about CiTi BOCES visit www.CiTiboces.org. To learn more about N.E.T. and Die visit www.netanddie.com.
