Larry Fast gets it exactly right, and admirably puts his money where his mouth is towards getting kids into manufacturing. For too long manufacturing jobs have had an optics problem…”dirty, dingy, layoffs” is the sentiment. Decades ago, one could find a nicely paying job down at the local factory which promised a nice pension at the end of service. Times have changed and the past thirty years has reflected an education system that pushed kids away from manufacturing to pursue jobs in more “glamorous” fields. We’ve been told “America is a service economy now” as if that’s a good thing. Can we really afford to sell each other coffee and insurance for the next 100 years?

“The primary objective is to have high school students graduate with a full semester’s worth of manufacturing course credits that are transferable to an Indiana tech school. With that done, they will complete their training in just three semesters for an associate degree, or sooner if they seek only a one-year certification for a particular skill.” 

Manufacturing Students at PEKO in front of logo

I absolutely agree with Larry here and frankly I’m very impressed at this objective. Solutions for developing young talent where manufacturing professionals are working tightly with local communities is absolutely paramount. The country is rich with untapped potential that industry would do well to not ignore. This author has personally met with hundreds of young students for plant tours, educational seminars and in-class presentations. The feedback from educators, parents and students is extremely positive. It helps to take the veil off manufacturing and show people how fun a career this can be. Getting the local government and educational community involved is a great start. Hats off to Mr. Fast for his efforts, we could all learn from his example. Be sure to read his entire article and let him know you appreciate his efforts.