Livonia Students Ready for Manufacturing Day

LIVONIA, Mich. - Oct. 5, 2016 - PRLog -- Some 600 middle school students from four Livonia middle schools will tour six local manufacturing facilities Oct. 7 as part of Manufacturing Day.

This is the second year Livonia students are participating in the annual nationwide effort to introduce young people to the modern world of manufacturing and pique their interests in the industry's high-tech careers. The daylong field trips are being organized by the Michigan Manufacturing Technology Center (MMTC), Schoolcraft College and Livonia Chamber of Commerce, in conjunction with Livonia Public Schools and the Clarenceville School District.

"There is a great demand for skilled and technical talent for manufacturing companies in Livonia and around metro Detroit," said Dan West, president of the Livonia Chamber of Commerce. "This is an important introduction to today's industry for students and their parents."

Last year's Manufacturing Day in Livonia introduced 135 Emerson Middle School students to three Livonia companies. This year, students from Emerson, Holmes, Frost, and Clarenceville middle schools will fill 11 charter buses to visit NYX Inc., Roush Performance Technologies, Alpha USA, Quality Metalcraft, McLaren Engineering, and Delta Gear.

The students will also tour the various applied sciences laboratories at Schoolcraft College, where they will also enjoy lunch and see industry displays from Linear AMS, Key Plastics, and Standard Die and Fabricating.

"We were able to grow the effort this year thanks to the generous support we received from the MMTC," West added. "Experts say the majority of future jobs in the coming years will be for people trained in skilled and technical trades, so it is important for young people to have hands-on experiences like this."

Harvard University recently reported that 60 percent of new jobs in 2018 will require post-secondary training in either a one-year certificate or two-year associate degree program in specific skills. These types of jobs include advanced manufacturing, welding, electronics, drafting, and IT. Meanwhile, Harvard estimates only 33 percent of new jobs in 2018 will require a bachelor's degree or more.

With upcoming retirements for the aging skilled-trade workforce and increased demand for talent, experts estimate the U.S. manufacturing industry will have a shortage of at least two million workers by 2020.

This outreach by manufacturers to students is a vital part of the process of rebuilding the local talent pipeline, said Chuck Dardas, president and chief operating officer of Alpha USA.

"It is so important for our industry to reach out to the community like this," Dardas said. "Also, it is exciting to see the kids' enthusiasm as they explore what we do."

Across Wayne County, some 3,000 students will tour facilities as part of Manufacturing Day.

Visit www.the-center.org to learn more about the Michigan Manufacturing Technology Center.