There was a change to the daily routine last week for nearly two dozen local manufacturers with groups of middle schoolers being led through their facilities.The second annual Warren County Manufacturing Day, a chance for students from three local schools to get a look at the technology and skills that drive local industry, was held Thursday, Oct. 10.Classes from Wright City Middle School, Black Hawk Middle School and Liberty Christian Academy visited facilities throughout the area to see firsthand what manufacturing is like in the 21st century. Many businesses also had information and activity booths set up at Black Hawk Middle School.Organizer JoAnn Toerper with Boonslick Regional Planning Commission said the goal of Manufacturing Day is to raise awareness among students and the community of the opportunities available to them. Boonslick partnered with local chamber of commerce members, the Greater Warren County Economic Development Council and 23 regional manufacturers for the day’s events.Toerper, who specializes in business outreach and workforce development, said pointing more young people toward local industry will prevent the gradual loss of talented young people that Warren County currently experiences, what she describes as “brain drain.”“We continually see the children in our communities go off to school, and they end up in the communities where they go to school instead of coming home,” Toerper said.Manufacturing Day has been a national initiative since 2012, intended to bring members of the public into modern manufacturing facilities to see how much technology has transformed what used to be thought of as a dirty or unpleasant work environment. The local program started in 2018 as a partnership between the business groups and local schools, with hundreds of students participating.Once the eighth-graders have a chance to see what local factories are like and the kinds of robotics, computers and other technology they use, the students might decide to focus their high school careers on STEM classes (science, technology, engineering and math) that will prepare them for one of those jobs, Toerper said.That benefits the students who have new possibilities opened to them, and also local businesses that Toerper said could expand if they had access to more skilled workers in the area.Mark Hyde, plant manager for roofing manufacturer CertainTeed, said showing students the technology the manufacturer works with is a good way to get them interested in future careers.“Young kids, they’re visual, it’s hand stuff . . . everything is touch screen. The idea is to try to help them understand that manufacturing is not just this dirty (process),” Hyde explained.“Operators all interact with technology now,” he said. “Almost every one of our operators has HMI (human machine interface) screens and interactive stuff where they run the process.”The challenge, Hyde said, is convincing students and their families that not every student needs to go to a four-year college to have a good career. As long as young people have good attitude and aptitude, there are opportunities for a variety of education levels.“We’re trying to share with the kids the diversity that’s available in their future career paths,” added CertainTeed process engineer Chad Pearia. “(We’re sharing) how many different types of careers exist just at one local manufacturing facility in one of their local towns.”For example, Pearia demonstrated 3-D printing technology similar to what he uses to design and produce machine parts for CertainTeed’s manufacturing process.“Young people are intelligent and they’re capable. They need inspiration,” Pearia continued. “If they’re inspired to do a career, a trade, then they’ll chase it and be successful.”Dr. David Buck, superintendent of Wright City R-II School District, said the district’s mission is to prepare students for success after graduation, whether that’s through college or through a technical or trade career.Buck said participating in Manufacturing Day is just one way the district tries to make students aware of their options and prepared for a career. He said most local employers aren’t looking for a college degree, or what grade a candidate got on a standardized test. They’re looking for practical skills.“Can you work with the people next to you? Can you problem solve?” are two of the major questions employers ask of candidates, Buck explained.To that end, the R-II district has eighth-graders go through a required project-based learning class, where they do things like their current project of engineering and building glider planes, the superintendent said. He hopes the hands-on experience with projects and the Manufacturing Day visits will generate more interest in trade and technical careers.Wright City R-II also started an apprenticeship program last year, in which students can apprentice with a local employer while still in high school, Buck explained. Other classes and programs at the high school level impart leadership skills and opportunities for practical learning students can transfer into a successful career.Regular communication between the school district and local employers is helping tailor those career-oriented programs, Buck said. And Manufacturing Day is a way to open students’ eyes to what those programs could lead them to in the future.

Dawn Murphy, left, with Mittler Bros. Machine & Tool, explains to a group of middle school students that the products the Wright City manufacturer makes includes components for racing vehicles. Mittler Bros. was among two dozen area companies participating in the second annual Manufacturing Day, Oct. 10. 

Record photo/Adam Rollins

Brent Wingerter, left, with Cee Kay Supply, helps middle school students use a virtual reality welding simulator, partially visible on the screen at right. The activity was one of several during the Oct. 10 Manufacturing Day event meant to encourage student interest in technical and manufacturing careers. 

Record photo/Adam Rollins