South Bend students get manufacturing pitch
SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) - When trying to get a work permit for his 14-year-old son, Dan Adams, co-owner and chief technology officer of Manufacturing Technology Inc., ran into some frustrating misconceptions about his industry.
He wanted his son to start learning valuable work skills, but when he proudly told a school guidance counselor his son would be working at the family-owned company, the counselor's response troubled him.
"Manufacturing, that sounds dangerous," Adams said the counselor told him.
Adams was bothered by the message his son was being sent, he said, because modern manufacturing isn't the dirty, hazardous environment many people believe it to be. But almost 700 South Bend School Corp. high school students got to learn that firsthand Friday as part of Manufacturing Day.
"We're excited to be able to show the kids what manufacturing is really like in the 21st century," said Adams, whose South Bend company produces advanced rotary friction welders that are used by the aerospace, automotive, agricultural and defense industries throughout the world.
Manufacturing Day is a nationwide event started to address misconceptions about the manufacturing industry, giving companies the opportunity to show communities what they really do. There were more than 2,000 events organized Friday across the country, and in St. Joseph County 19 companies and three postsecondary training schools opened their doors to the local students.
The day's events were organized by a partnership of the St. Joseph County Chamber of Commerce, Ivy Tech Community College, Purdue Polytechnic South Bend, the Michiana chapter of the National Tooling and Machining Association, many local businesses and the South Bend School Corp.'s Career and Technical Education Department.
This was the second year local organizations participated in Manufacturing Day, but it was the fourth year for the event nationally.
One of the greatest benefits for students is it broadens their knowledge of what good career paths are out there in manufacturing, Laura Marzotto, director of the Career and Technical Education Department, said.
"I don't believe they know what all opportunities exist for the future," she said.
In Michiana, the average annual starting salary for manufacturing workers ranges from $33,000 to $40,000, depending on the position, according to the Chamber, with the ability to grow into positions averaging $75,000 or more per year. Also, locally manufacturers have the highest tenure in the private sector and about 90 percent of workers have health benefits. And there are good-paying jobs for all levels of schooling, Adams said, from GEDs to Ph.D.s.
Participation in the day's events was voluntary, Marzotto said, and this year's almost 700 high school students was an exciting increase from last year's total of about 422.
Marzotto called last year's event hugely successful. It opened a lot of students' eyes, she said, and this year South Bend Schools saw an increase in enrollment in trade classes.
And according to students, the day full of events did change their perspective on the manufacturing industry. Kendra Lisenko, a senior at Clay High School, said she did think of manufacturing as a dirty job, but that was quickly changed Friday.
Lisenko started taking classes in the CTE department because of her father's interest in cars, she said, but touring area facilities has peaked her interest and opened her eyes to new possibilities.
For fellow Clay senior Colin Greve, touring MTI solidified mechanical engineering as a career choice, he said. At MTI, being able to see the engineers designing parts using 3-D design software and then seeing the physical product installed on a machine allowed him to picture himself in that career, he said.
Beyond showing the reality of modern-day manufacturing, the day also addressed a local issue in the industry - the continuing need for skilled labor. The biggest hurdle to growth is not capital investments or a lack of space, Adams said, it's the need for workers.
"It's challenging for us to find people," he said. "We need people in order to grow."
MTI has made 37 new hires this year alone, he said, but still has openings. Many of the skills MTI needs are being filled internally by investing in employees' education and training, Adams said, but the company would hire from the outside if it could find the workers.
A big part of the problem is location. The Michiana area is typically seen as a smaller market, Adams said, especially compared to auto producing hubs like Detroit. This makes area manufacturers compete to draw in skilled workers.
That's what makes Manufacturing Day all the more important, according to the Chamber. It shows local students the opportunities in their hometown and retains a skilled workforce.
That's especially important as Indiana and the Michiana area are, in fact, among the leaders in the nation when it comes to growth in manufacturing. Through August, manufacturing jobs in Indiana grew by 2.2 percent or 11,100 new jobs, according to the Indiana Department of Workforce Development. And Elkhart County was singled out as being the fourth fastest growing area for manufacturing in 2014, according to Headlight Data, an organization that analyzes workforce data.
"We know that developing a talented workforce is key to the growth and stability of our region, and we want these kids to know there is a place for them here," said Kate Lee, director of talent engagement for the Chamber of Commerce.
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Source: South Bend Tribune, http://bit.ly/1j7D0ND
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Information from: South Bend Tribune, http://www.southbendtribune.com