Explore the New Manufacturing Academy hosted a group of middle school students and area manufacturers to investigate some of the diverse and fantastic career opportunities that help West Virginia manufacturers deliver their products to the world.
Four local middle schools participated in a series of 30-minute hands-on learning labs designed to provide a cool snapshot of the manufacturing process needed to create West Virginia-made products. Manufacturers provided insight into how employees make a difference in the success of the company. As part of the lab, students learned about the basic skills most workers need to accomplish their jobs. Local community and technical students were on hand to serve as mentors and to assist the with learning labs. RCBI provided all students with a tour of their facility to help highlight available training and educational options. The day wrapped up with a 20-minute team challenge exercise designed to help students understand the value of collaboration and communication.
“We had about 100 eighth-grade students join us for a fun day of hands-on learning about West Virginia’s manufacturing industry,” said Program Director Monica Cross, who oversees the WVMAEF and its Explore the New Manufacturing Program that links industry with educators and students across West Virginia. “This program is a great opportunity for students to interact with local manufacturers and gain valuable insight into the educational pathway that leads to promising careers in manufacturing.”
“It’s important to teach younger students about potential career paths with hands-on experience,” Cross explained. “At this age, students can see what real careers in industry will be like and get excited about potential well-paying careers. A lot of people don’t pursue manufacturing careers because there’s not an awareness of what those careers look like,” Cross concluded.
Participating Companies: Clearon Corp, HG Medical, and Toyota Motor Manufacturing WV, Inc.
Participating Middle Schools: Barboursville Middle School, Huntington Middle School, Huntington East Middle School, and Milton Middle School
Participating High School CTEs: Spring Valley High School and Wayne County High School
