City celebrates Manufacturing Week
The City of Vacaville kicked off Manufacturing Week, partnering with Solano Community college and the Vacaville Unified School district in hosting the next generation’s students with the current cutting-edge manufacturing and education providers in the area.
“Our local high school students are quickly becoming the future of our city,” Vacaville Mayor Ron Rowlett said in a press statement. “Vacaville is a hub for advanced manufacturing in California and it is important to expose our students to the many careers that are available in the industry. Connecting our students with local opportunities, through both Solano College and local businesses, is at the heart of what our Manufacturing Week is about.”
Students started their tour with a visit to some of Vacaville’s local manufacturers, gaining insights on how manufacturing has evolved, merging traditional manufacturing techniques with robotics. Advanced manufacturing, the process of combining cutting-edge technology with skilled manufacturing techniques, is now in full swing at many of Vacaville’s businesses.
With an uptick in STEM needs within the field of manufacturing, Solano Community College created an education platform specifically tailored educating students in the fields of advanced manufacturing.
“There is a huge need in the workforce for skilled workers and those trained in manufacturing,” Doug Green, instructor for advanced manufacturing at Solano, said in the statement. “All of the students that have gone through our program are employed — many entertain multiple offers from local companies. There’s not a single student who has successfully gone through our program who cannot find a job in the local community.”
Manufacturing Week, started 10 years ago by the U.S. Census Bureau, was originally launched to inform businesses and local policymakers about manufacturing in the U.S.
The program has expanded beyond its original goal to help spread information onto students by encouraging companies and educational institutions around the nation to open their doors to students, parents and teachers within their local communities.