The gymnasium at Woodruff Career and Technical Center buzzed with the sounds of robots, drones and welding machines Tues.
The Greater Peoria Economic Development Council brought together local employers and organizations from the manufacturing sector for an expo catered to eighth graders in Peoria County.
The annual event previously targeted high school students. But a growing body of research, along with a chorus of other local career pipeline initiatives, says by the time you talk to high schoolers about jobs -- it’s too late. Director of Workforce Solutions Kate Cundiff says the reasons for targeting eighth graders are also economic.
“Even though the manufacturing industry has downsized a lot right now, it will be moving up in the future, and so when it does move up, we need to make sure we have a stable and skilled workforce for our employers,” Cundiff said.
Cundiff says the expo gives students a chance to have meaningful, face-to-face interactions with potential employers in the manufacturing sector. The hope, she says, is for the students to carry the next generation of manufacturing forward upon graduation.
Despite a weakened global market, employers and students sounded hopeful about the future of the industry. Everett Blakey is a painter for Caterpillar in East Peoria:
“Things may be a little bit slow right now, but when the economy picks up, and it will eventually pick up, we’re going to be back, strong,” Blakey said. “It’s still a great place to go and a great place to work.”
Logan Pritchard, an eighth grader from Edison Junior High School, echoed that optimistic sentiment. Pritchard says while manufacturing jobs of the previous generation may not be there by the time he graduates, he hopes to apply his computer skills in an increasingly technical field. The Greater Peoria Economic Development Council’s Manufacturing Expo continues Wed. at WCTC.