The West Central Ohio Manufacturing Partnership working with Wright State
University-Lake Campus and local manufacturers and community colleges held its
second Teacher Manufacturing Bootcamp. This event was held to offer area
teachers a chance to learn about manufacturing career opportunities and the
career education offerings in our region. Our goal was to improve teacher
awareness so that they can share the career possibilities found in manufacturing
with their student.
Participants included Sue Harris from Jackson Center Schools, Victoria Weiss from
New Knoxville Schools, Liz Moeller from Coldwater High School, Kristina
Baughman from Midwest Regional Educational Service Center, Mark Suter from
Elida Schools, and Betsy Crites from Wright State who was the instructor for the
classroom portion of the bootcamp. The teachers were able to tour Cooper
Farms Turkey Processing Plant, Airstream, Plastipak, Machine Concepts, Nidec
Minster, Handa’s Anna Plant, and Wash-Penn Plastics. They also had the
opportunity to tour the manufacturing training facilities and learn about available
career programs at Wright State University, Tri Star Compact, Edison State
Community College, and Rhodes State Community College.
Day 1 had the teachers touring Cooper Farms Coldwater processing plant. You
may wonder what a turkey processing plant is doing in a manufacturing focused
bootcamp. I think that the teachers wondered also. When they toured the plant,
they saw automated conveying lines, robotic palletizers, and computer-controlled
processing lines. All of this equipment can be seen in manufacturing plants.
Career opportunities ranging from entry level positions working with handling the
turkeys to maintenance and engineering positions.
The teachers also got to program a robot at Wright States Advanced
Manufacturing Center and tour the Tri-Star Career Compact learning about the
career programs offered there.
Day 2 took our teachers to Airstream in the morning and Plastipak in the
afternoon.
At Airstream, they got to see how the famous Airstream Travel Trailers. They
observed metal forming, carpentry, assembly, design, quality testing and a variety
of career opportunities for their students. There was a lot of hands on work and
skilled craftsmen paying attention to the details of bringing these trailers to
market.
The Plastipak visit showcased a highly automated, high speed production
operation. Plastipak produces bottles for a wide variety of customers including
Proctor & Gamble and numerous soft drink suppliers. There were not as many
people visible because the processes are highly automated with robots, AGVs,
and conveying systems. They observed bottles being molded, packaged, and
moved to shipping areas.
Day 2 wrapped up with a tour of Edison State’s engineering facility.
Day 3 brought the group to Machine Concepts and Minster Nidec.
Machine Concepts makes assembly lines for manufacturers and the teachers got
to observe CNC mills and lathes in operation. They also learned that the assemble
lines and work cells are assembled, tested, and torn down for packaging prior to
shipping. Career opportunities in machining, maintenance, and engineering, and
logistics are available in this business. The variety of skills needed for the
manufacturing jobs was also shared.
Day 4 was the final day of the plant tours and the teachers visited Honda’s Anna
Engine Plant and Wash-Penn’s plastic compounding plant.
The Honda plant gave the teachers incite into the types of careers available in the
auto industry. They also toured the training facility at the plant. A wide range of
careers are available including machining, engineering, maintenance, and
assembly.
The afternoon tour was at the Wash-Penn plastic compounding plant. Here the
teachers got to see another type of plastic processing facility. When they toured
Plastipak, they observed bottles and packaging products being made. At Wash-
Penn, they got a chance to see how the plastic compounds are produced that are
used to make parts, packaging, and finished products used in industry. The
compounds are found in auto production, consumer goods, packaging, and
electrical parts. They learned a little bit about the chemistry involved in making
materials that can be used in various applications facing a wide range of
temperatures, strength requirements, and chemical resistance.
The teachers participating in the bootcamp got a good overview of the types of
jobs available in manufacturing. There are a variety of career opportunities
available requiring preparation ranging from graduating from high school with a
good work ethic to skilled trades, engineering, business, human resources,
logistics, and many others. It is the hope of the partnership that the teachers take
some of these impressions back to the classroom to share with their students and
spread the word that modern manufacturing facilities are clean, well-organized,
and offer career challenges along with career growth opportunities. We also
want to encourage the participants to reach out to us if they would like some
support in helping the students learn about the available career opportunities.