To celebrate National Manufacturing Day, Explore the New Manufacturing is hosting a regional Explore Academy for Mercer County middle school students to introduce them to the diverse and amazing career opportunities that help West Virginia manufacturers deliver their products to the world.
Seventh and eighth graders from Bluefield, Glenwood, Montcalm, PikeView, and Princeton Middle School will participate in a hands-on learning event at the Mercer County Technical Education Center on Thursday, October 5, 2023. Students will participate in three 30-minute labs to get a cool snapshot of the manufacturing process used by regional manufacturers. Various facets of manufacturing, such as operations, environmental health and safety, quality control, research and development, and other aspects, will be explored. Mercer County Technical Education Center will provide all students with a tour of their facility to highlight available training and educational options. Lunch for the academy participants will be provided by Conn-Weld Industries, LLC. The day finishes with a 20-minute challenge to see which group of students can work effectively as a team to solve the test.
“Today’s middle school students will be tomorrow’s manufacturing workforce in West Virginia,” said Executive Director Monica Cross, who oversees the Explore the New Manufacturing Program’s efforts to create student awareness and excitement about careers in manufacturing and the training opportunities for these positions in their local areas. “We are excited to again be working with Mercer County Schools and our manufacturing partners to host the Princeton Academy on National Manufacturing Day. The Explore team is looking forward to meeting the students and introducing them to employees from Conn-Weld Industries, LLC and Custom Manufacturing Services, Inc.”
Participating manufacturers: Conn-Weld Industries, LLC and Custom Manufacturing Services, Inc.
Participating schools: Bluefield Middle School, Glenwood Middle School, Montcalm Middle School, PikeView Middle School, and Princeton Middle School.
National Manufacturing Day (NMD) is an annual celebration designed to show students, parents, and the public what modern manufacturing is all about. Explore the New Manufacturing and our manufacturing partners are excited to participate in NMD and help shine a spotlight on the fabulous careers available in West Virginia.
Date: October 5, 2023
Time: 9:00-1:30
Location: Mercer County Technical Education Center
1397 Stafford Drive, Princeton, WV 24740
