Tours aim to open students’ eyes to manufacturing jobs

Manufacturers across Ozaukee County opened their doors last week to host tours for high school students and their parents last week.

The Manufacturers Alliance of Ozaukee County event allowed students to sign up for 15 to 20-minute tours of their choice of 10 area companies, including RAM Tool, Inc. and Gauthier Biomedical Inc.

Kathleen Cady Schilling, executive director of Ozaukee Economic Development, which  partnered with the Grafton Area Chamber of Commerce to form the Manufacturers Alliance several years ago, said the tours exposed students to the county’s thriving manufacturing sector.

“Ozaukee County has a strong manufacturing past and still has strong manufacturers,” she said.

Elizabeth Mueller,  executive director of the Chamber, said the group hopes to alter students’ and parents’ perspective on manufacturing jobs.

  “Parents often view manufacturing as dirty, dangerous or dead-end work,” Mueller said. “By exposing the parents as well as the students to good employers and educating them about advanced manufacturing careers, we can alter these perceptions.

“Sixty-four percent of high school students choose their careers based on their interest and experiences. By engaging with these students through tours, educational programs and interactive career fairs, manufacturers have the opportunity to raise awareness about careers in manufacturing.”

A job in manufacturing can easily become a career, Schilling said, adding there are many paths young adults can take.

“It can involve training through MATC or on-the-job training or youth apprenticeships or state apprenticeships,” she said.

The Ozaukee Youth Apprenticeship program is one opportunity for area high-schoolers, Schilling said.

As part of the county-run program, students work part-time at participating companies during their junior or senior year or both.

The tours took less than 30 minutes by design, Schilling said. The Manufacturers Alliance wanted students to see several companies.

“Some of the companies said, ‘We can barely scratch the surface in that time,’” Schilling said. “But we were hoping the students could get different experiences.”

Many local manufacturers suffered a major worker shortage about a year ago, and while that has lessened, Schilling said, many jobs are still available.

Hiring young, industrious employees will be especially important to counterbalance the county’s aging population, Schilling said.

“If you’re not looking at how you’re continuously filling those seats, it could be an issue,” she said.

Schilling said the Alliance hopes to hold factory tours twice a year.