Oct 6, 2017 | Source: Greater Lafayette Commerce News Release
Lafayette, IN – Greater Lafayette Commerce closes out Manufacturing Week with the highest attendance in the event’s four year history with a tally of 1,848 K-12 public and private school students from six counties having participated in workshops, expos, and tours with and to manufacturers throughout October 2-October 6.
Manufacturing Week’s goal is to immerse the future workforce in today’s advanced manufacturing by exposing students to the variety of opportunities available within the region, at no cost to schools or students, and in line with Greater Lafayette Commerce’s mission to advance economic and community prosperity for a superior quality of life.
Manufacturing Week is a three part week-long event comprised of: Manufacturing Tours with regional advanced manufacturers for high school students, a Manufacturing Expo for middle school students where students engaged in visiting manufacturing booths for hands on activities and information about the manufacturer, lean manufacturing and supply chain activities, and Manufacturing Workshops for elementary school students where students engaged in spatial math activities, lean manufacturing and team assembly activities.
To execute an event of this scale, the Workforce Development Director, Kara Webb at Greater Lafayette Commerce worked with regional school corporations and their teachers, Ivy Tech Community College and its representatives, manufacturers and staff from HR to Production, and a continuum of Greater Lafayette Commerce staff, volunteers, and mission investors.
This is the fourth year Greater Lafayette Commerce’s Workforce Development team has hosted Manufacturing Week.
High school participants hailed from: Carroll Jr/Sr High School, Central Catholic High School, Delphi Community High School, Faith Christian School, Frankfort High School, Frontier High School, Hoosier Academies Network of Schools, Jefferson High School, Logansport Community High School, McCutcheon High School, North Montgomery High School, North White High School, Peru High School, Tri-County High School, Twin Lakes High School, William Henry Harrison High School.
Those students toured: Arconic, Ball Corporation, Caterpillar Inc, Cives Steel Company, Cook Biotech, Dayton-Phoenix Group, GE Aviation, Ivy Tech Community College – School of Technology, KA Components, Kirby Risk Service Center, Liquid Spring, Ludo Fact, Oscar Winski Company, Regal Power Transmission Solutions, Southwire, Subaru of Indiana Automotive, Swift Fuels, Wabash National Corporation, ZF
Middle school students from: Central Catholic Jr/Sr High School, Klondike Middle School, Lafayette Sunnyside Intermediate School, North White Middle School, Delphi Community Middle School, McCutcheon High School, Northridge Middle School, Southwestern Middle School, East Tippecanoe Middle School, and Hoosier Academies Network of Schools participated in the Manufacturing Week Expo.
Those students visited booths hosted by: Cutting Edge Industrial Technologies LLC, Caterpillar Inc, IN-MaC – Purdue University, Ivy Tech Community College, ZF, KA Components, Kirby Risk Corporation, Purdue Polytechnic, Subaru of Indiana Automotive, Vincennes University, and Wabash National Corporation.
Elementary students from Rossville Elementary, St. Lawrence School, Southeast Fountain Elementary, Miller Elementary School, Clinton Central Elementary, St. Boniface, Southeast Fountain Elementary, Clinton Prairie Elementary, Miami Elementary, and home school cooperatives, participated in workshops with Caterpillar Inc, Ivy Tech Community College and Subaru of Indiana Automotive.
2017’s 1,848 student participants is an 81% increase in student enrollment since its beginning in 2014.
Investors who helped make this event possible include: Arconic, AT&T, Ivy Tech Community College, Region 4 Workforce Board, Subaru of Indiana Automotive Inc, Wabash National, Ball Corporation, Caterpillar, NIPSCO, Purdue Polytechnic, Wabash Valley Power, Kirby Risk Corporation, Regal Beloit Corporation, voestalpine Rotec, Inc. and GE Aviation.
About Greater Lafayette Commerce Headquartered at 337 Columbia St. in Lafayette, Greater Lafayette Commerce, whose roots go back 90 years, is a nonprofit membership organization supported by local businesses, industries and governments. Its mission is to advance economic and community prosperity for a superior quality of life.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT
Angelique Zobitz, Marketing Director
Greater Lafayette Commerce: 765/807-5925