More than 300 students from across St. Lawrence County stepped beyond the classroom and into the workplace on October 22 during the third annual Manufacturing Day, an initiative designed to showcase modern manufacturing and skilled trades careers while connecting students with local employers.
Hosted through a partnership between St. Lawrence-Lewis BOCES and the St. Lawrence County Industrial Development Agency (IDA), the event provided students in grades 9-12 with firsthand exposure to career opportunities in advanced manufacturing, logistics, engineering and the skilled trades.
Students representing 12 school districts, including Brasher Falls, Canton, Clifton-Fine, Colton-Pierrepont, Edwards-Knox, Gouverneur, Hammond, Harrisville, Hermon-DeKalb, Massena, Morristown and Parishville-Hopkinton, toured 16 businesses and organizations throughout St. Lawrence County.
Participating employers included Alcoa, Arconic, Brookfield Renewable, Cives Steel, Curran Renewable Energy, Empire State Mines, Five Mile Farm, Heidelberg Materials, Kinney Drugs Central Fill, Kinney Drugs Warehouse, Massena Electric Department, Med-Eng, Pepsi-Cola Ogdensburg Bottlers, the St. Lawrence Seaway, Structural Wood and Twin Rivers Paper.
Students had the opportunity to observe modern manufacturing processes, learn about technical and trade-related careers, interact with industry professionals and gain a deeper understanding of the skills needed to succeed in today’s workforce.
“Manufacturing Day provides high school students, our future workforce, the opportunity to get a firsthand look at modern manufacturing facilities, see how world-class products are manufactured locally and learn about the variety of career progression opportunities available in manufacturing,” said Patrick Kelly, chief executive officer of the St. Lawrence County Industrial Development Agency.
The mission of the St. Lawrence County IDA is to promote, encourage, attract and develop job opportunities and economically sound commerce and industry throughout St. Lawrence County. Events such as Manufacturing & Trade Day help advance that mission by introducing students to the diverse career pathways available throughout the North Country.
By connecting classroom learning with real-world experiences, the event helps students explore career options, meet potential future employers and envision opportunities to live and work in the region after graduation.
St. Lawrence-Lewis BOCES and the St. Lawrence County IDA extends their appreciation to the participating businesses, school counselors and educators whose support and collaboration made the event possible.
