CEG Launches “What’s So Cool About Manufacturing®, Capital Region”
10 local schools and 10 MFGs to participate in 1st-of-its-kind-in-NY student video contest
(Oct. 23, 2024) – The Center for Economic Growth (CEG) is launching a first-of-its-kind contest in New York State that encourages middle school students to engage with local manufacturers and produce real-world, project-based videos that highlight “What’s So Cool About Manufacturing®” (WSCM).
Yesterday, teachers from 10 Capital Region school districts received training for WSCM Capital Region, NY, a CEG initiative through which seventh and eighth graders will visit 10 local manufacturers’ facilities. Students will develop, shoot, edit and produce videos showcasing the “cool” work performed at the designated manufacturing company with which their school is paired. While using a video contest to introduce students to local manufacturers’ “cool” production technologies, WSCM Capital Region, NY will also spotlight careers and pathways in manufacturing.
CEG launched WSCM Capital Region, NY to help address the growing demand for skilled workers among local manufacturers. Manufacturing employment in the eight-county region reached a 22-year high in 2023 at 35,674. The Capital Region’s average annual manufacturing wage is $101,933, compared the U.S. average of $82,575. WSCM Capital Region, NY will also help break the perception some have of manufacturing occupations as being dark, dirty and dangerous.
The Capital Region middle schools participating in WSCM Capital Region, NY and the manufacturers with which they have been paired, include the following:
|
Schools (County) |
Manufacturers (County) |
|
Albany Leadership Charter School for Girls (Albany) |
Aquatic Development Group (Albany) |
|
Central Park Middle School (Schenectady) |
Atlas Copco Comptec (Albany) |
|
Hoosick Falls Junior High School (Rensselaer) |
Environment One Corporation (Schenectady) |
|
KIPP Albany Community Charter Middle School (Albany) |
GlobalFoundries (Saratoga) |
|
Maple Hill Junior High School (Rensselaer) |
NSH USA Corporation (Albany) |
|
Mount Pleasant Middle School (Schenectady) |
P1 Industries (Schenectady) |
|
North Albany Middle School (Albany) |
Plug Power (Albany) |
|
Shaker Middle School (Albany) |
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals (Rensselaer) |
|
Stephen and Harriet Myers Middle School (Albany) |
Ross Valve Manufacturing Co. (Rensselaer) |
|
Troy Middle School (Rensselaer) |
Saint-Gobain Surface Solutions (Albany) |
Under the WSCM initiative, student teams are provided – at no cost to schools – with the media technology and training they need to produce videos. Following yesterday’s WSCM teacher training, the schools’ teams will begin planning for their manufacturing site visit. Throughout December the schools’ teams will visit manufacturers to interview employees and film cool manufacturing footage. In early 2025, students will edit their videos and there will be a public online voting campaign. eMediaWorks will provide production support, with additional support provided by Sahl Communications and EmpowerStar Enterprises.
“It’s one thing to tell students about opportunities in manufacturing, but when they get a close-up look at the production process – and the chance to film it – two things happen. One is they think, ‘That’s so cool’; and the other is they say, ‘I want in,’” said Don Wiesenforth, Senior Vice President and Director of Manufacturing Solutions, the Capital Region Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) center. “We are grateful for CDPHP’s stepping up as a lead sponsor of the program, and we are thrilled to partner with the Pennsylvania MEP Manufacturers Resource Center to broaden the reach of the “What’s So Cool About Manufacturing® initiative.”
Many students, parents and teachers are not aware of the many career opportunities in manufacturing as well as of the apprenticeship programs with college tuition reimbursement options. CEG is the group sponsor for several New York State Department of Labor Registered Apprenticeship Programs, including those for brewer/distiller, CNC machinist, electro-mechanical technician, industrial manufacturing technician, and welder.
The WSCM Capital Region, NY Video Awards will be held on March 19 at Proctors in Schenectady. In 2013, the Manufacturers Resource Center in Allentown, PA launched the first WSCM video contest for Pennsylvania students. Examples of videos produced by students can be viewed on the WSCM Video Library.
About Manufacturing Solutions, Powered by CEG
Manufacturing Solutions, Powered by CEG, is the Capital Region’s Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) Center. As a trusted business partner, our strategies aim to increase sales, improve productivity and operations, launch new products and align the vision of the executive teams we guide. We are part of the New York State MEP program funded by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and Empire State Development’s Division of Science, Technology, and Innovation (NYSTAR). CEG, the Center for Economic Growth, is a driving force for economic development in the Capital Region, leveraging multiple industry clusters to attract investment and talent, support business growth and nurture the area’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. www.ceg.org.
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