Area sophomores stepped outside the classroom last week to see firsthand what a future in local manufacturing could look like. The Crawford Partnership, working with the Richland Manufacturing Coalition, brought together 387 tenth-grade students from county school districts and nine area businesses for Manufacturing Day on Thursday, October 1.
The students toured workplaces, met with employers, and learned about manufacturing and skilled careers available within their own communities.
Connecting School With the Workplace
The event was designed to do more than introduce students to local companies. Organizers also wanted students to see how the education and training opportunities available in the area can connect directly to local jobs. Throughout the day, students explored workplaces and talked with employers about the skills, education, and experience required for different positions. They also visited the Crawford Success Center.
“When students can connect a training program with a job they’ve seen firsthand, their next steps become more concrete,” said Crystal Dean, Workforce Development Manager at the Crawford Partnership.”
Nine Employers Open Their Doors
Participating businesses represented a broad cross-section of manufacturing, construction, machining, fabrication, and industrial operations across the area. Students visited Shelter Works, OTC Industrial Technologies, Forge Fire, K&B Tool & Fab, Tramec Sloan, Edgar Trent Construction, IB-Tech, Carter Machine, and Covert Manufacturing.
For employers, Manufacturing Day offered an opportunity to introduce students to jobs they may not have considered and to begin building relationships with the county’s future workforce. It also gave students a chance to see modern manufacturing environments firsthand rather than relying on assumptions about what factory or industrial work looks like. Several participating businesses have already expressed interest in taking part again next year.
Building a Local Talent Pipeline
Manufacturing Day comes as communities across north central Ohio continue working to strengthen the pipeline between schools, training programs, and employers. For Crawford County students, that means learning that a career after graduation may not require moving elsewhere. The combination of employer tours and a visit to the Crawford Success Center were designed to introduce a pathway that begins in high school, continues through local training or education, and can ultimately lead to employment close to home.
The Crawford Partnership thanked the Richland Manufacturing Coalition, participating businesses, the Crawford Success Center, school staff members, bus drivers, and volunteers whose coordination helped make the day possible. For the 387 students who participated, the day provided something equally important: a closer look at careers they could one day pursue in the same communities where they are growing up.
Source, Photo: Crawford Partnership