Instructor
Carpentry
413-863-9561, ext. 257
mnobrega@fcts.us
Mike has been a carpentry instructor at FCTS since 2012. He is licensed in Massachusetts as a construction supervisor, and as a professional vocational technical teacher.
Prior to joining the FCTS vocational faculty, Mike developed a passion for teaching his trade to others while contributing to community service projects as construction manager for Habitat for Humanity of North Central Massachusetts from 2007 to 2011.
His unique blend of over 40 years of engineering, project management, and construction experience, coupled with a passion to usher students to successful achievements, lends itself well to delivering an exciting, modern learning environment where students thrive.
At FCTS, Mike has developed a standardized carpentry curriculum that integrates software applications and emphasizes classroom management and shop administration to deliver high quality technical instruction in all aspects of the carpentry trade.
Mike’s motto is, "Play it safe, play it smart, play it with love and kindness."
Mike is one of the original carpentry graduates (1976) from Montachusett Regional Vocational Technical School in Fitchburg, MA, or “Monty Tech”. Following high school, he worked at several manufacturing companies in Gardner, MA, which is known as The Chair City of the World and the Furniture Capital of New England.
After graduating in 1980 from Mount Wachusett Community College in Gardner, MA, he continued his education at the University of Lowell, and continues to pursue his Bachelor of Science in Occupational/Vocational Education at Fitchburg State University. Mike completed training in Sheltered English Immersion in 2020.
Mike spent 20 years in the high-tech industry as a manufacturing engineer designing electronic test systems and bar code tracking systems used worldwide. He was an engineer for Wang Laboratories in Lowell, MA for 14 years, and subsequently worked as a national consultant for Computer Sciences Corporation in Connecticut for five years.
Following a major downturn in the computer manufacturing industry, Mike re-entered the construction industry as a carpenter in 2000, building residential and light-commercial projects while also managing his own small business.
Mike is married with two daughters and enjoys family, woodworking, gardening, cooking, and the great outdoors.
Instructor
Carpentry
413-863-9561, ext. 257
kvautrin@fcts.us
One of the carpentry instructors, Ken focuses on large scale construction. In particular, Ken leads students through an actual house building project - from beginning to end.
Instructor
Carpentry
413-863-9561, ext. 257
mtherrien@fcts.us
A vocational instructor at the Franklin County Technical High School since 1999, Mike is currently the chief architectural instructor for community building projects. As part of the building cluster that constructs houses, pavilions and other structures in the wider community, Mike teaches setup, programming and operation of mill, lathe, router, plasma, laser and 3D printing machines.
Mike previously spent nine years as the CAD/CAM instructor for the Tech School’s advanced manufacturing night class, which he helped develop, and which is designed to train entry level computer numerical control (CNC) machine operators.
In 2019, Mike founded Berkshire's Advanced Manufacturing Training and Education Center, Inc. (BAMTEC) in North Adams, a stand-alone training center, makerspace and small business incubator. As current president of the center, Mike organizes an array of dynamic CNC operator courses and individualized industry-driven training.
With over 30 years of experience in carpentry, Mike has also served as an OSHA-10 and an OSHA-30 trainer for several years. Mike is proficient in MasterCAM, Autodesk Inventor and Aspire. He has a passion for creating and teaching others to create what they dream!
In 2016, Mike started his own consulting company, Imagine CNC, to create CNC-based wood projects, and to provide software and mechanical consulting to allow businesses to get more out of their machines.
Mike has been a licensed professional educator in Massachusetts since 2004, and a licensed construction supervisor and a licensed home improvement contractor since 1987.
