Los Angeles Machine shop class starting

[the4thseal]

The school year is here and now the Venice Adault education machine shop class has started. This a great resource for people in the LA area. Do your own projects or class projects. It is like having your own machine shop with an instructor to help you when you get lost. This is a great resource, come and make chips,have some fun,learn alot along the way!

[budavita]

The next Venice Community Adult School (VCAS) Machine Shop Class begins March 9. Unlike most classes, you bring in your own project and the instructor helps when you need it. On top of that, I think it is the only Westside Los Angeles - Venice - Santa Monica community machine shop of it's kind. Only $57 for 12 weeks. More info available at www.VeniceMachine.com

[mc-motorsports]

Originally Posted by budavita Only $57 for 12 weeks.

Wow! Is that state sponsored? How is it so cheap? For that much money, I would come do my personal projects on your equiptment with your electricity and hopefully your tooling for the next 3 months!

On a more serious note, I would hope that people interested in learning would take advantage of that. I think the state sponsored trade school near me charges about $2500 per adult.

MC

[budavita]

Yes, the Machine Shop class is a great deal. Especially for apartment dwellers or people that don't have a garage/workspace.

My understanding is that the Venice Continuing Adult School gets additional money from the State or Feds for each student.

Wierd thing is that it has been pulling in barely enough students to keep it going. These Community School programs are held at night at the High Schools, which on LA's Westside have been shutting down their vocational programs. Doesn't make sense considering how few students actually make it out of HS and through College. The kids that do make it through college couldn't turn a screw without asking questions. No wonder the USA is getting it's ass kicked in manufacturing!

Great to be able to go into a shop, use someone else's tools, make things, and have someone around to help when I've got a question.

Let me know if anyone knows of any other workspaces or machine shop programs/groups like this in West LA. For that matter, I also need to find a local place to buy metal & plastic without using UPS or driving 45 min each way.

[mc-motorsports]

Originally Posted by budavita Wierd thing is that it has been pulling in barely enough students to keep it going. These Community School programs are held at night at the High Schools, which on LA's Westside have been shutting down their vocational programs. Doesn't make sense considering how few students actually make it out of HS and through College. The kids that do make it through college couldn't turn a screw without asking questions. No wonder the USA is getting it's ass kicked in manufacturing!

I see quite a bit of this myself. Younger people, working fast food, crap factory jobs or don't even work at all, "can you teach me? What do I have to do to learn? How do I get started?". You could write them a book and they still won't get off thier lazy ass.

Most of the aquintences and some of my friends who ask me all the time are the same one's who say "MC doesn't work, he just pushes some buttons". Once they figure out it's a little more involved, they loose interest. I tell every one of them, "if it's so easy, just go buy some equiptment and push some buttons and you'll have a job just like me."

And then there's the kids who just want the job pushing buttons in a big shop for $20/hr. Problem is, when they lose that job, they have to find another big shop to pay them too much money to change parts and push the green and red buttons because they never aquired any real skill.

It's kinda sad that more of our youth is not taking interest. Especially with opperturnities as mentioned in the first two posts, people are just wasting thier lives. This isn't a carrer where you just goto school for a couple of years and get a job and salery worth bragging about. It takes years, many years and you'll make good money IF your good at what you do.

[the4thseal]

people come down to the machine shop!!!! we need you. it is a great time!

[budavita]

The Venice Community Adult School Monday Night 6:00 - 9:15 Machine Shop is overfull and VCAS is looking for interest in starting a Wednesday Night class.

IF you would like a Wednesday class, call VCAS in the afternoon Today, Friday or Monday and let them know! 310-577-4230.

These classes are a GREAT resource for Los Angeles's Westside! My understanding is that the Wednesday class would be more structured than the Monday class, with more direct instruction for those just learning to use the Milling Machine or Lathe.

There is more info at:
http://venicemachine.com/VCASClass/class.htm

[the4thseal]

budavita
are you in the class? if so who are you. i am in the class. it is great the we finally got the people after so many years of trying to keep it going.

[budavita]

So many new people showed up for the regular Monday Night VCAS Machine Shop Class in Venice that a second 6:00 - 9:15 Wednesday Night Machinist Class was added.

My understanding is that the Wednesday Machinist Class will be more instruction oriented, and good for students wanting to learn specific Lathe or Milling Machine skills & operations.

This all just goes to show that there is a pretty good demand for this kind of thin on the Westside West-Los Angeles area. Would be great if we could get a TechShop type operation going in WLA/Santa Monica area!

Again... here's the link for more info.
www.VeniceMachine.com

[budavita]

Originally Posted by the4thseal budavita are you in the class? if so who are you. i am in the class. it is great the we finally got the people after so many years of trying to keep it going.

Yes, I'm in the class. I'm the new guy who did up the flyers.

Looked for a many months to find a class like this on the Westside. The day I joined was told the class was in danger of cancellation due to lack of interest. Didn't want that to happen, Didn't want to have to rent my own shop.... teach myself & buy lots of equipment. Figured getting out the word would create interest.

[the4thseal]

great job.....are you going to class tonight? i would love to put aname to the face.

[budavita]

Good talking to you at the Venice Machine Shop last night.

Sounds like you guys from these past years put in some serious effort to keep the place going and in good shape. Lucky for us new guys as the shop would be shut down without you.

Wednesday was a busy compared to what we were seeing a month ago. A little worried about what to expect on Mondays with 30 or 40 people in there. Instructor Raul says the class may even continue into the summer. I've also heard LA Trade Tech also has got a summer session class going on, and I might check that out depending on what else is going on this summer.

The office thought about restricting enterence to the class. They seem to have given up on that idea and it is still open to anyone signing up during mid-session. The school probably wants the Fed Funds/Student. Anyway, I'm sure it will thin out a little as the term goes on and summer gets closer.

I'm planning to come in on Mondays & Wednesdays, so see you next week.

Matt
www.VeniceMachine.com