Over 250 Central Ohio middle and high school students have a new view of manufacturing – both how things are made and the career opportunities available.

These students had the unique opportunity to tour facilities and hear directly from staff at local manufacturing firms. These events were organized by OH!Manufacturing as part of national Manufacturing Day and Ohio’s Manufacturing Month.

The purpose of these events is to celebrate modern manufacturing and inspire the next generation of manufacturers. They are just a few of the nearly 2600 similar events occurring across the country.

Selected eighth grade students from Westerville School’s four middle schools had a two-hour tour of Worthington Cylinders to see how high pressure gas storage tanks are produced. Students also heard from staff about the various jobs associated with the process and the skills required. They also had the chance to ask questions. These personal interactions and real-life experiences opened the eyes of the students to the various types of jobs available in the manufacturing industry. They brought their learnings back, presenting their experience to their seventh grade peers.

OH!Manufacturing assisted in the execution of the inaugural Manufacturing Month in Madison County. Activities included tours at several manufacturing firms:

• London High School students visited Stanley Electric, to see how injection molding is used to manufacture head lamps and tail lights for Honda.
• In Mount Sterling, Madison-Plains Local students got an exclusive look at Keihin Thermal Technology of America, a producer of heat management components for Honda.
• Autotool in Plain City welcomed students from Jonathan Alder to tour its auto machinery production facility.
• Jefferson Industries in London showed students from West Jefferson High School how robotics are used to assemble steel components for automotive chassis.

Activities culminated with a Manufacturing Careers Open House at Tolles Career and Technical Center where students and parents heard from manufacturers about job opportunities from area colleges and about educational pathways to acquire the necessary skills for those jobs. Tolles students also toured Nissen Chemitec’s manufacturing facility in London.

Columbus State Community College (CSCC) participated in Manufacturing Month with an “Upskilling Your Employees” event, highlighting educational resources and programs for training both students and incumbent workers. Twelve area manufacturers attended the event, which included a tour of CSCC’s Integrated Systems Technology (IST) lab and an overview of its Maintenance Training Program. The program blends online learning with hands-on simulations, making it the perfect training tool for current manufacturing employees.

Each event highlighted the benefits of working in the manufacturing field, and exposed a new generation to the many job and career opportunities in manufacturing. OH!Manufacturing is proud to sponsor such events during Manufacturing Month, and throughout the year.

We strive to connect manufacturers with new talent and expose young students to the manufacturing field. To find out more about what we do, see how we help or contact us at 614-776-5265 or fill out a short contact form.