A Janus Motorcycles handmade bike. – PROVIDED BY JANUS MOTORCYCLES
A Janus Halcyon 450 motorcycle sat parked last year in the center of the Automotive and Engineering Design classroom at Bergen County Technical High School – Teterboro. The impressive, handmade machine served as inspiration for students tasked with a design challenge to reintroduce the force of “dive” into bikes for the Janus racing team.
Bergen Tech instructors Erik Buser and Danny Chang initially contacted the Indiana-based Janus Motorcycles after becoming intrigued by the “super cool” bike designs online. They were moved by the willingness of CEO Richard Worsham and his team to connect with and support their students.
Janus decided to present the students with a challenge it faced at the time: designing a racing bike that had “dive” despite a leading link suspension.
Students worked on solutions concurrently, while Janus professionals joined video calls to act as consultants throughout the process. The project concluded with the students presenting their refined solutions virtually to a panel of “judges” assembled by Janus.
Those individuals offered feedback on each student team’s presentation, including advice to improve structural components.
“The feedback was easily the best part of the project,” said Chang. “The students got to hear directly from industry professionals.”
‘A great experience’
Both instructors said the project was especially engaging because it had purpose. It gave students the opportunity to apply engineering and design principles in a real-life scenario. It also aligned with their goals as instructors to launch students into careers developing the next lines of vehicles to hit the road.
“The experience that Janus facilitated gave our students a glimpse of how design teams apply technology, mathematics and the design process to come up with creative solutions,” said Rich Panicucci, assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction at Bergen County Technical Schools. “Interacting with the Janus design team also taught our students a lot about how to communicate in a professional environment and the importance of preparation in those conversations.”
The time and thought Janus put into delivering such a transformative learning experience for students earned the company recognition as BCTS’ 2025 Business Partner of the Year.
“Our entire design team thoroughly enjoyed the chance, not only to work on this project with the students, but to engage with a design challenge in a new way,” said Worsham. “It was a great experience to look at something with fresh eyes and see so many inventive ways of addressing an engineering question. We look forward to future projects like this and are grateful for the opportunity.”
Business and professional partnerships, such as this one, are critical to the success of New Jersey’s county vocational-technical schools. They give students unique learning opportunities that offer a realistic view of a career or even exposure to a new or highly specialized career pathway in their desired field.
Out of this world
Hudson County Schools of Technology (HCST) also chose a Business Partner of the Year with a niche in the engineering field: STS Aerospace. The global company produces fluid conveyance products for commercial and military aircraft, as well as for the energy, space and marine industries.
Angelique Rivera is a 2018 graduate from HCST’s High Tech High School. She now works as a manufacturing engineer at STS Aerospace, and initiated a connection between the school and company. Rivera reached out to her former CTE instructor, Gregory Simon, to provide students in High Tech High School’s Design and Fabrication Academy with opportunities for hands-on industry experience through summer internships with STS Aerospace.
Rivera’s offer not only benefits the students and her alma mater, but also her current employer, which seeks to build a strong talent pipeline.
“Seeing students engaged and curious about what we do is inspiring. Partnering with the school helps us invest in the next generation of skilled professionals our industry needs,” said David Costa, director of operations at the STS Aerospace Lodi, N.J, facility.
Hudson County High Tech High students from the Design and Fabrication Academy, pictured front and center, pose during their summer internship at STS Aerospace. Pictured fifth from left is High Tech High alumna Angelique Rivera, who forged a relationship between the school and STS Aerospace, where she is now employed as a manufacturing engineer. – PROVIDED BY NJCCVTS
Giving back
Interns have tackled a wide range of assignments. Duties included creating floorplan layouts for a new addition to the facility, observing orbital and manual welding processes, inspecting parts with precision to help with shipping and receiving, and much more.
“STS Aerospace is a model partner, who is committed, generous and focused on student success. The company’s guidance connects what we teach in the classroom to what students will see in the workplace,” said Simon, who currently serves as supervisor of the Design and Fabrication Academy at High Tech High School.
The partnership continues expanding with Rivera’s help. She serves on the advisory board for the Design and Fabrication Academy’s newest program of study, Engineering Technology. She also offers professional insight on curriculum development, especially given the program will have an aerospace engineering component.
Business Partners of the Year in CTE
Each of New Jersey’s 21 vocational-technical schools has named a Business Partner of the Year for 2025.
The first-ever PSE&G Day, pictured here, introduced students in trades programs across Passaic County Technical Vocational-Schools to career opportunities with the energy company. – PROVIDED BY NJCCVTS
Additional examples of these mutually beneficial partnerships include PSE&G hosting a special event in partnership with Passaic County Technical-Vocational Schools that brought together more than 75 students for an in-depth look at career pathways in the energy company’s skilled trades. The event alone resulted in on-the-spot job offers to seven students.
Gloucester County Institute of Technology’s (GCIT) Business Partner of the Year, The Telford Inn in Mantua, initially welcomed Culinary Arts students seeking a supportive workplace. Today, the restaurant actively recruits GCIT students because of their technical skills, professionalism and readiness for the industry.
Profiles on each Business Partner of the Year detail the varying levels of engagement and mutual benefits of the partnerships. Visit the NJ Council of County Vocational-Technical Schools (NJCCVTS) website, careertechnj.org, to learn more about the honorees.
“School Work” is a monthly column from NJBIZ pertaining to education in the state. It is authored by Jackie Burke, executive director of the New Jersey Council of County Vocational-Technical Schools. This column originally appeared on Dec. 18, 2025.
