On Thursday, October 19, high school students in Jefferson, Lewis, and St. Lawrence Counties participated in the 11th Annual Manufacturing Day touring manufacturing facilities across the region. They learned about the variety of products made right here in the North Country, and discovered the array of career possibilities available in industry.
One of the goals of Manfuacturing Day is to dispel some of the ideas that young people may have about working in manufacturing being loud, outdated and unsophisticated. WWNY Channel 7 News covered the event at Omniafiltra where sophomore Carter Smith from the Adirondack Central School said, "the machines are way more high tech than I expected."
More than 750 students from 20 different schools toured 15 different facilities around the region with additional tours and schools planning a similar exercise on different days. Participating companies demonstrate different production systems and include Barrett Paving, Current Applications, EZ Stak, Great Lakes Cheese, Otis Technology, Omniafiltra, QubicaAMF, Alcoa, Arconic, Potsdam Specialty Paper and more.
This event has been developed as one way to mitigate the workforce gap that challenges many employers. Regional MFG Day events were coordinated through a partnership between CITEC Business Solution; BOCES; North Country STEM Learning Network; Jefferson County Economic Development; and Naturally Lewis.