The volunteers are armed with a snappy four minute video that makes their case: the county is a small powerhouse in metals manufacturing, with 96 firms comprising half of all manufacturers in Mercer County. And as manufacturing rebounds, more skilled workers will be needed at all of them, says project director Dale Deist.
“Folks realize the recession will not last and that metal skills career training for high school students now is a good investment for students, parents and the community,” says the president of Buck’s Fabricating in Hadley.
The Mercer County Career Center already offers secondary-school level training in precision machining and has added new equipment that introduces students to robotic enhancements in the field. Currently the center has 27 students in precision production metals, with similar numbers in engineering and electronics. Students generally take hands-on courses in all three areas during 11th and 12th grade. “We look at those three together. Students must know aspects of all of them to be successful,” says center director Rachel Martin.
While the center and the metal manufacturers dont have a formal affiliation with building trades unions for training programs, Deist says all are working toward the same goals. “Entrepreneurs know that to expand we need to get into higher technology,” says Deist.
Martin says the information effort hasn’t yet swelled enrollment, but she welcomes the initiative. “Manufacturing is vital in western Pennsylvania. They’re getting the word out that there is a future in the metals industry.”
Source: Dale Deist, Buck Fabricating
Writer: Chris OToole