Students, parents invited to explore manufacturing careers at ManuFest 2019.
Plans are well underway for ManuFest 2019, an annual expo which showcases manufacturing career pathways for middle and high school students in Montgomery County.
The one-day event, organized by MontcoWorks, the workforce development board for Montgomery County, will be held March 12 at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks — a new venue for ManuFest.
The event aims to break outdated stigmas and inform attendees about up and coming career pathways, according to the event website. During ManuFest, students will be able to engage in hands-on activities related to possible career opportunities.
The event has been expanded this year and given a new name to reflect the expansion, according to Jennifer Butler, executive director of MontcoWorks.
“We are expanding ManuFest to ManuFest and More, including careers that support manufacturing as well as the building trades. We realized that there are viable career pathways in these fields as well and want to open our students’ minds to the possibilities,” she said.
More than 70 regional organizations are expected to showcase their businesses — through product demonstrations, interactive activities and hands-on STEM related activities.
“We are letting students see what is possible and helping employers meet their future needs,” said Butler, adding that manufacturers in the area need workers and are thinking of their future employee pipeline.
“It is critical for our students, parents and teachers to think about possible future high priority occupations that align with the skills our Montgomery County employers need to grow and thrive,” she added.
The Expo Center space has been donated, according to Butler, and the extra space allows room for more exhibitors. It also allows MontcoWorks “to invite more students this year to this much larger venue.”
More than 200 students and 60 parents attended last year’s ManuFest. Organizers expect that number to increase this year.
Butler explained that over the last couple of years, there have been requests from the building trades, as well as businesses that support manufacturing, to be part of the event. One example she used was a request from a company that provides calibration services — an area she said is important to the manufacturing industry. That company attended last year’s ManuFest.
“That got us thinking we don’t want to give students the idea that it’s just about working in a manufacturing facility. We added ‘and more’ to let all supporting companies know they are invited,” she said.
The expo helps students explore manufacturing and construction related fields.
Students will have the opportunity to learn about pathways in manufacturing and trades including: design, electrical, engineering, industrial maintenance, machining, mechatronics, HVAC and more.
Butler added that there have been several exhibitors that have attended ManuFest since its inception and are seeing results.
“They are getting the impact after the fact of people expressing interest where they may not have thought of it before,” she said. “For me, the real measure of success is the number of students that enroll in the programs through the career and technical centers in Montgomery County. That has proven to be happening since we started.”
ManuFest and More is funded by employer sponsors and the Business Education Partnership grant, awarded through the PA Department of Labor and Industry. MontcoWorks is part of the Montgomery County Commerce Department, Montgomery County’s lead entity for economic and workforce development.
Registration is now open and students in grades 7 through 12, parents and educators can register for free at www.ManuFestAndMore.eventbrite.com. Montgomery County schools are able to request lunch and buses for registered students.
Registration is also open for exhibitors who want to be a part of growing the future talent pipeline in Montgomery County.
“It is critical for our students, parents and teachers to think about possible future high priority occupations that align with the skills our Montgomery County employers need to grow and thrive.”