According to Moraine Park Technical College, fewer than 39 percent of teens have ever set foot inside a manufacturing company. To teach them about the career opportunities offered in the industry, the college is holding a “Toolin’ It Camp” for students aged 13 to 16 years of age from Monday, June 15 to Friday, June 19 at its West Bend campus.
Students will learn about computer-aided design; computer-controlled (CNC) manufacturing operations; basic electrical systems; and machining, welding, fabrication of metals, plastics and other materials.
They will also tour local manufacturing facilities to learn what types of jobs exist, what skills and training are required, and how those businesses developed.
One of those companies is MGS Mfg. Group, a provider of manufacturing solutions for high precision plastic products based in Germantown. For the second year in a row, MGS will host a “lunch & learn,” scheduled for Friday, June 19 from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
During the visit to MGS, the students will learn about what the company does, discover the many career opportunities that are available in manufacturing, and receive a tour of the tooling and injection molding facilities.
“We’ve had a lot of toolmakers here since day one who will be retiring in five or 10 years, and we just want to get kids interested in that possible career path,” said MGS marketing manager Rebecca Reed. “It might not be something they even knew existed before, but it could be something they might say, ‘I’m interested in this or this could be my focus for school.’ We want to get the word out there what jobs can be obtained at a company like ours, so once they’re ready to go to college they might consider a job at MGS or at least in this trade.”
The Toolin’ It Camp takes place from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily.
For more information on the Toolin’ It Camp, click here.
