By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
From childhood on, kids dream of what they will become when they grow up. Doctor? Teacher? Scientist? Few set their sights on working in a manufacturing plant.
But maybe they should.
The Wood County Economic Development Commission is working with others to put on the first “manufacturing camp” in the county for middle school age students. Wade Gottschalk, executive director of the county economic development commission, explained the concept Thursday to the county commissioners.
“We want to introduce middle school kids to modern manufacturing,” Gottschalk said. “We think there’s a misconception of what manufacturing is.”
It’s not like the old days when factories were thought of as dirty worksites with mundane, repetitious routines. Today’s manufacturing plants are often spotless and require high tech skills.
And the jobs are plentiful. “We visit the manufacturers and we hear constantly that they can’t find people,” Gottschalk said. “There’s a lot of demand.”
So students who choose jobs in the manufacturing sector over getting a college degree often come out ahead of their peers. They have an easier time finding work, they make similar wages to those people with degrees, and they aren’t saddled with the debt from college.
But most kids don’t even think about manufacturing as a career. To help change that mindset, the first “manufacturing camp” is being planned in Wood County. Partnering with the economic development commission is U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, the local Ohio Means Jobs office, Bowling Green City Schools, Penta Career Center, BGSU, the Wood County District Public Library, and the Wood County Educational Service Center.
The local industries participating in the camp are Owens-Illinois, Home Depot, Lubrizol and Northwood Industries. Students will tour each of the sites to get a better picture of what modern industries look like. Penta Career Center will also be hosting an advanced manufacturing lab using robotics.
The camp filled up quickly, Gottschalk said, with 30 students from Bowling Green Middle School signing up for the spots.
Also during the meeting with the Wood County Commissioners, Gottschalk reported on the results of surveys given annually to graduating high school seniors in the county. Of the 500 students who responded, 84 percent said they planned to attend a two-year or four-year college after graduating high school. Of the respondents, 40 percent said they plan on leaving the area after graduation.
Gottschalk also reported on recent economic development in the county, including the new Luckey Farmers site on U.S. 6 in Freedom Township. “It’s nice to see a substantial project going there,” he said.
He also mentioned the NAI Harmon Group which is working on a new industrial park in the Crossroads. Ground has been broken and one tenant has been secured. “It’s a boost for the city of Rossford,” Gottschalk said.
Gottschalk also told the commissioners that several companies are currently looking at sites in Wood County.
“A lot of foreign investors are looking,” he said, adding that he has been giving tours to interested companies.
“As you’re aware, some of these things take quite awhile,” he cautioned.
