An estimated 1,500 North Texas high school students from over 11 different school systems celebrated National Manufacturing Day on Oct. 2.
The Manufacturing Day event, which was hosted by the Texas Manufacturing Assistance Center at the White Settlement Independent School District Fine Arts Academy in Fort Worth, was designed to help students learn about different careers in modern manufacturing.
The TMAC estimates that the Dallas-Fort Worth region is projected to need more than 31,000 new manufacturing employees in the next 18 to 42 months.
A lot of students have ideas about the manufacturing industry that are old or outdated, said Robin Evans, an event and communications coordinator at TMAC. Organizers hope that by exposing students at an earlier age to the wide range of careers within the manufacturing industry, like materials science and other applied sciences such as robotics and engineering, more students will see manufacturing as a viable career path.
“You can’t dream about what you don’t know about,” Evans said.
At the event, volunteers from companies like Lockheed Martin helped set up over 40 interactive stations and live demonstrations for attendees, including robotics, automation and product and process demonstrations.
Some of the favorites among students included live blacksmithing demos and a “battle bot” that launched foam balls across a gymnasium. Other interactive stations featured a robotic arm playing Connect Four, VR headsets, 3D printers and even a large blimp.
“It’s cool to see how many different careers there are in manufacturing,” said Devan Christopher, a sophomore from Byron Nelson High School, in Trophy Club.
Following the event, several students said they now had stronger interests in manufacturing careers. Among them was Colton Moorhead, a junior at Byron Nelson, who said the live demonstrations made the work look fun.
Students interested in manufacturing careers aren’t always sure how to enter the field, Evans said, and they have questions about what certifications they’d need or what schools they should attend.
But career and technical education centers in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, which provide high school students with hands-on training and real-world experience, are fantastic at guiding students along that path, Evans said. “They are really helping these kids get there,” she said.
Niamh Ordner is a science reporting fellow at The Dallas Morning News. Her fellowship is supported by the University of Texas at Dallas. The News makes all editorial decisions.