Manufacturing Day event hosts over 600 students and educators

WesternWyoming Community College’s Outreach Department, in partnership with Southwest Wyoming Manufacturing Partnership, hosted a Manufacturing Day event on Friday, October 6th.

It was our 2^ndAnnual Manufacturing Day was held at the College. Students, educators, and community members had a chance to interact with area manufacturers, tour the labs as well as engage hands-on activities to spark their interest in advanced manufacturing.

Regionalbusiness manager for Rocky Mountain Power and business champion for the Southwest Wyoming Manufacturing Partnership (SWMP) Ron Wild said the event is a good learning opportunity for the participating students.

Thecollege and the partnership "have partnered together to bring in as many of the industries that wanted to participate to try to increase the awareness of educational and employment opportunities intertwining and supporting each other. This is one of the goals for SWMP,”Wild said. “We want to provide as much career awareness in the community so our future generation knows their potential.”

Western’sdean of outreach and workforce development, Amy Murphy, said hosting this type of event is important for everyone who participated in the event. Counselors and teachers have the chance tointeract with employers to determine the type of careers available and what educational requirements align with those positions.

“ManufacturingDay is really important because it gives us an opportunity to celebrate and share how far manufacturing has come. Inaddition, this event provided the awareness of the various careers available within the manufacturers and the businesses that are here in the community. It’s also helpful to understand what’s needed to get those careers and the education that goes along with it,” Murphy said.

She also said that the event was held for 8th-12th grade students and over 600 students were in attendance. Thefollowing schools participated in the event:

-Green River High School

-Kemmerer Junior/Senior High School

-Lincoln Middle School

-Lyman High School

-Pinedale Middle School

-Pinedale High School

-Rock Springs High School

-Skyline Academy

“The earlier you can educate them on what’simportant to do and what classes they need to take in high school, the better.If they need to further their education, they know what the pathway to do that is,” Murphy said.  “On behalf of education and industry,we have an obligation and responsibility to provide them with the possibilities, as well as the environment to learn and build the skills needed to be successful.”

Wild said that the event was also important for people that have already left high school. “Regardlessof what grade you’re in, even if you’ve graduated and you’re just raising kids, always continue your education," Wild said. "It’s only through additional education and learning that we can position ourselves for a better future.”