Spreading the word about manufacturing

By AACC 21st Century Center Staff

Community colleges show off training programs and partnerships on National Manufacturing Day.

National Manufacturing Day is all about celebrating manufacturing and inspiring future manufacturers. A number of community colleges opened their doors to the community to show off their training facilities, get people interested in careers in manufacturing, and spotlight their partnerships with local industry.

Wisconsin’s Blackhawk Technical College (BTC), partnering with Rock County 5.0, the School District of Janesville and 26 different employers, hosted more than 600 area high school students as part of an effort to change perceptions about today’s manufacturing environment. and draw attention to the outstanding opportunities that a career in manufacturing can provide.

The students visited BTC’s Advanced Manufacturing Training Center to learn about the college’s manufacturing programs.  They also visited two different businesses in the region to learn more about job opportunities in a variety of manufacturing professions.

“Manufacturing Day is going to provide an opportunity for the next generation of our workforce to see the industry in action and learn about the many well-paying careers it offers,” BTC President Tracy Pierner said before the event.

South Central College (Minnesota) hosted “Made in Faribault 2017: A Salute to Manufacturing,”
a luncheon and program featuring a panel of local manufacturing representatives who shared their insights and forecasts for manufacturing careers. SCC also partnered with businesses for a two-day Tour of Manufacturing, which featured 14 manufacturing facilities.

Community College of Denver (CCD) and Metropolitan State University of Denver teamed up to offer a campus-to-campus tour so the community could explore manufacturing programs and career pathways.

More than 300 Denver Public School CareerConnect and McLain High School students toured the equipment, classrooms and labs of MSU Denver’s new Aerospace and Engineering Sciences Building on the Auraria Campus. And CCD’s Advanced Manufacturing Center provided two student-led welding activities that involved state-of-the-art welding simulators, a welding identification activity, and a discussion with welding students around education and careers in welding. Participants also created a Lego game where teams had to replicate a prototype and communicate it to their builders.

An overarching goal for CCD was to promote the growing need for women in the manufacturing industry with an activity facilitated by CCD’s female machining and welding students and welding instructor.

The day ended with a Made in Colorado Expo that showcased 14 Colorado employers and manufacturing programs.

Though National Manufacturing Day was officially Oct. 6, colleges are holding events throughout the month.

Ohio’s Lorain County Community College hopes to inspire future engineers on Oct. 10. The Society of Women Engineers will host the “STEM Showcase and Discover Your Superhero.” The interactive event will highlight careers in STEM and provide hands-on experience to attendees. Female engineering students and engineers from industry will share their experience. Officers from the U.S. Army will be on hand to speak to the students, too.

Northeast Community College in Nebraska will celebrate Manufacturing Day on Oct. 26.  The college will showcase manufacturing program labs and have representatives from area manufacturing companies on site to answer questions and discuss career opportunities.

Guests also can be a part of the processes used in the manufacturing of a chess set designed and built by the Hawks Manufacturing Club. The club’s members are all students of the manufacturing program at Northeast.

“This is a nationwide event that focuses on bringing current manufacturing technologies to the public and creating an awareness of the role that manufacturing and related occupations now hold to support our nation’s economy,” said Steve Wagner, diversified manufacturing technology instructor. “We are positioned to train the next generation of manufacturing technicians for careers that are in demand, require advanced skills and offer very good salaries.”

Did you host an event? Talk about it at LinkedIn.

AACC 21st Century Center Staff

is a contributor to the 21st-Century Center.