Manufacturing Day gets youth into skilled trades
Hundreds of students will get a look at potential career paths at local companies
Laval Tool president Jonathon Azzopardi had to travel the country to learn to appreciate what a difference programs like Manufacturing Day have had in promoting careers in the skilled trades to local students.
“We’re at least five years ahead of everywhere else in the country on this,” said Azzopardi, president of the Canadian Association of Mold Makers and vice-president of the Automotive Parts Manufacturers Association.
“I’ve seen it travelling around the country, places that have completely lost their manufacturing base and it won’t come back because they can’t find the skilled workers. We’re way better off than everywhere.” Manufacturing Day involves the combined efforts of Workforce WindsorEssex, the WindsorEssex Economic Development Corporation, area school boards and local manufacturers.
The concept originated in the U.S. in 2011 and the event was first held locally in 2013, with six companies hosting 150 students. This year’s event on Friday will see more than 800 students from all four area school boards visiting 15 companies. About 300 of those students are from Grades 7 and 8, who asked to join their high school peers on the plant tours. “Most of those are from the Leamington/Kingsville area,” Lee McGrath, WEEDC’s director of business retention and expansion, said of the participating elementary students. Employers opening their factory doors this year range from tool and die and mould makers to greenhouses to automation manufacturers.
“The No. 1 goal was to change the perception of manufacturing,” said Azzopardi, whose Laval Tool will host 175 students.
“Three years ago, it was just Grade 11s and 12s, who were 16 to 18 years of age. Now we’re getting students as young as eight-, nineand 10-year-olds.
“The perception has changed when parents, teachers and schools are confident enough to allow their kids in a manufacturing facility.”
One of the companies that has been there from the beginning is Cavalier Tool, where sales manager Tim Galbraith said almost 300 students were confirmed to visit. “We know Manufacturing Day is helping get kids to consider a career in manufacturing because we had one of our employees tell our HR people that,” Galbraith said. “Getting kids here, they see what we do is pretty cool. It’s not their daddy’s sweatshop.
“Part of this campaign, through the kids, is convincing parents as well.”
Workforce WindsorEssex spokesman Justin Falconer said students get to select which type of companies they want to visit. The students are then matched with employers largely on a geographical basis and the school boards provide busing. “There’s been a move to explore more experiential learning, and the school curriculum has been updated to reflect that,” said Falconer of the growing interest. “More teachers want to participate and in the five years more people know about it.” Galbraith said companies try to keep things interesting for the touring students by offering hands-on experiences. This year, Cavalier has also brought in representatives from companies in their supply chain to help with student inquiries.
“We’re working to Industry 4.0 — we don’t need brawn, we need brains to lead us into the future,” said Galbraith. “Windsor is one of the three areas in the world renowned for what we do because we have the complete supply chain. We need to promote that.”