PLATTSBURGH — When it comes to exposing high school students to a possible career in manufacturing, ETS Vice President of Strategic Operations Amber Douglass says, you can't just tell them, you have to show them.

Which is the main thinking behind the annual North Country Manufacturing Day. 

The event typically invites local students into the depths of Clinton Community College's Institute for Advanced Manufacturing (IAM) with hopes of exposing them to and correcting misconceptions about the region's manufacturing industry.

At the hands of the COVID-19 pandemic, however, the event went virtual for 2020.

"This year, it was really important for us, given the feedback from educators and the students themselves, to make it in person," Douglass said. "The students are sick of being told things, especially when it is manufacturing, which is such a creative environment." 

HUNDREDS OF STUDENTS

The North Country Manufacturing Day Committee helps coordinate and sponsor the event. It includes: ETS Staffing & Recruiting Agency, Ready4Real, CV-TEC, Clinton Community College, North Country Chamber of Commerce, North Country Workforce Development Board, The Development Corporation and Citec.

The 2021 event was held in mid-November and attracted nearly 300 students from across the region. 

Douglass said attendance was geared more towards the North Country's juniors and seniors who have an interest in STEM. 

"Whether they're taking a technology class or they're in a robotics club," Douglass explained. "It was much more focused on them." 

Districts that sent students included AuSable Valley, Beekmantown, Chateaugay, Chazy, CVTEC Main Campus, CVTEC Mineville Campus and Peru. 

MANUFACTURERS

Thirteen stations displayed activities for students to rotate through. 

More than half were manned by local manufacturers, including: 

• Nova Bus

• Torque — Snap-On (a Clinton Community College supplier)

• Camso

• AQ Wiring Systems

• Upstone Materials Inc.

• General Composites Inc.

• Vapor Stone Rail Systems

• Plattco Corporation

• Mold-Rite Plastics

• Salerno Packaging Corp.

Students could also watch demonstrations of some manufacturing trades, like welding and 3D printing. 

'TELL THEIR STORIES'

Douglass thought a great feature of the 2021 North Country Manufacturing Day was the ability for students to interact with the manufacturers and their employees. 

"A lot of the people who were here from the manufacturers, they have amazing backstories about how they got to where they got to," Douglass said. "Students may be able to relate to that, so being able to tell their story, talk about their career path and what led them to where they are, I think that's really important for students to hear." 

Email McKenzie Delisle: 

mdelisle@pressrepublican.com

Twitter: @McKenzieDelisle

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