AWT, similar groups credited for their efforts

As children in Northeast Ohio grow up and start considering career possibilities, they might want to give serious thought to manufacturing.

Especially if they’re looking for a field that will offer plentiful career opportunities for qualified applicants.

While the job openings are abundant, manufacturers often struggle to find people with the right skills to fill these positions.

That predicament is summed up this way by the Alliance for Working Together, a Mentor-based organization working to create awareness and interest in manufacturing careers: “As manufacturing continues to grow fast in Northeast Ohio and the future looks promising, there is still a critical shortage of skilled workers to satisfy growing demand and replace baby-boomers who are approaching retirement. This is going to create a huge hole for employers in the manufacturing/machine trades industry unless future generations enter the field.”

One way that AWT and other local advocates of manufacturing are aiming to increase the ranks of skilled employees is by reaching out to a promising pool of future workers: children in Lake and Geauga counties.

We endorse the efforts being made to introduce area youth to career opportunities in manufacturing. A couple of recent initiatives caught our attention and deserve further recognition.

We were impressed that the annual Think Manufacturing Career Expo at Wickliffe High School attracted more than 600 students. The event is a collaborative effort among the three Lake County Chambers of Commerce — Willoughby Western, Mentor Area and Eastern Lake County— and AWT.

The expo, held Oct. 5, brought more than 30 manufacturers together to educate the community about various technical careers, including engineering and advanced manufacturing.

One of the best parts of the expo, we believe, is that students get to connect face-toface with manufacturing industry leaders —such as Vince Profeta, vice president of product engineering and manufacturing at Mar-Bal Inc., a new manufacturer in Painesville.

Profeta said he is excited to share information about the state-of-the-art facility, business expansion and career openings.

We think that giving students a chance to interact with executives and managers from local plants could spark an interest in manufacturing that they might not get from simply looking at printed materials or the internet.

Along with manufacturers represented at the expo, Auburn Career Tech Center, Kent State University and Lakeland Community College provided information about technical and engineering programs that will help students gain the necessary skills for these careers.

We also were pleased to learn about a grant being awarded to a regional partnership involving manufacturing and schools.

NEXTWORK, the Lake and Geauga Counties Manufacturing K-12 Partnership, is a career and workforce development program created to address the workforce needs and serve as a catalyst to economic prosperity in both counties.

Recognizing the significance of this program, state Rep. Ron Young, R-Leroy Township, recently presented a $200,000 grant to support this program.

“Helping young people gain the skills necessary to find productive, fulfilling and highpaying jobs I believe should be the top priority of our public school system,” Young said. “Training and exposing our kids to these in-demand advanced manufacturing opportunities definitely contribute to that mission. The bottom line is these dynamic companies need skilled and motivated talent. Why not provide that talent locally?”

The Lake and Geauga Counties Manufacturing K-12 Partnership is a collaborative effort.

The partners include all Lake and Geauga public school districts, the Alliance for Working Together, the Manufacturing Advocacy Growth Network, the Geauga Growth Partnership and Lakeland Community College.

“Rather than 15 distinct school districts trying to coordinate career development efforts, this project creates a collaborative, well-coordinated effort,” Wickliffe Schools Director of Strategic Innovation Julie Ramos said. “Further, the project will bring coordination and organization to the manufacturing and the business sector.”

We applaud the various initiatives being taken to introduce children to manufacturing as a future career possibility — ranging from manufacturing expos to plant visits to the work of groups such as NEXTWORK, the Lake and Geauga Counties Manufacturing K-12 Partnership.

We’re hopeful these endeavors will help in building the robust, well-qualified workforce that our region’s manufacturers need for success.