Area employers to participate in Ivy Tech open houses for National Manufacturing Day

Opportunities in advanced manufacturing here will be the focus

KOKOMO, Ind. — A number of area employers will be sharing information on modern manufacturing technologies used in our local communities on Oct. 7 as Ivy Tech Community College opens its School of Technology facilities on the Kokomo and Logansport campuses in celebration of MFG DAY (National Manufacturing Day).

On both campuses, the event, open to the public, is set for 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. In Kokomo, visitors can tour the technology building on Ivy Tech’s Kokomo Campus, 1912 Trialon Court. The Logansport open house will be in the rotunda of Ivy Tech’s Logansport Campus, 1 Ivy Tech Way.

Employers who will be part of the Kokomo open house include Coan Engineering, FCA US, and Haynes International. The Logansport open house will include ARaymond Tinnerman; The Dilling Group, Inc.; MPI, Inc., including Small Parts, ABC Metals, and HTI – Heat Treat Specialists; and Steinberger Construction, Inc. WorkOne West Central Indiana will have representatives at both locations to discuss services it provides to help Hoosier jobseekers increase their skills and prepare them for the workplace.

“These companies add a great dimension to the open houses,” said Rodni Lytle, dean of the School of Technology for Ivy Tech’s Kokomo Region. “Their representatives will be on hand to talk about the types of skills they are looking for … and the kinds of training needed by those interested in filling the many jobs that are opening up in manufacturing.

“According to national economic studies, the manufacturing sector accounts for more than 18 million jobs in the United States,” Lytle continued. “As the Baby Boom generation moves into retirement over the next few years, employers expect that hundreds of thousands of these high-paying jobs will become available. Some manufacturing facilities right here in central Indiana are expecting nearly 30 percent of their workforce to retire in the next 10 years. These open houses are a great way to learn more about these opportunities.”

A number of area middle and high schools are bringing students to the open houses, including more than 400 students in Ivy Tech’s Integrated Technology Education Program and dual credit classes, but the event will be of value to many others, Lytle said. That includes individual students who may choose to use a College Visit Day to attend, students who are on fall break, and home-schooled students, along with adults who are unemployed or underemployed or seeking new opportunities. Ivy Tech alumni and retirees from area manufacturing facilities will also be interested in seeing the new technology available at Ivy Tech, he added.

Lytle said faculty members, all of whom have a wealth of industry experience in their backgrounds, and current students will share how Ivy Tech is supporting local manufacturing with quality training, hands-on approaches to today’s high-tech manufacturing environment, and upgrading skills of current workers. Visitors will be able to participate in hands-on lab demonstrations in the areas of electrical and mechanical, robotics, machine tool, and welding technologies. And advisors from Ivy Tech Corporate College and WorkOne will be available to talk about short-term grant-funded training for people who wish to enter manufacturing.

Ivy Tech also is working with a number of area manufacturers who are hosting school field trips at their plants as part of the Manufacturing Day celebration. These include Small Parts, A.Raymond Tinnerman, and Steinberger Construction in Logansport; Coan Engineering, Mid-State Engineering, FCA’s Indiana Transmission Plants 1 and 3 in Kokomo; Bottcher in Tipton; Ball Corporation in Monticello; and Kalenborn Abresist in Urbana.

The open houses will offer a first-hand view of all the options available at Ivy Tech, the state’s premier training partner for jobs and careers in manufacturing, Lytle noted.

“You may want entry-level training to move through one of Ivy Tech’s short-term certificate or technical certificate programs. Or you may be seeking job advancement and the midlevel jobs that can come with an associate of applied science degree. Or you can build to one of an associate of science degree that will allow you to transfer to four-year universities,” he continued.

“No matter where you are on this path to the future, it’s worth taking a closer look at what community college can provide in terms of training, cost, accessibility, transfer, and job outcomes.”

National Manufacturing Day was established as “as celebration of modern manufacturing meant to inspire the next generation of manufacturers.” The effort, supported by a group of industry sponsors, is designed to give manufacturers “an opportunity to open their doors and show what manufacturing is – and what it isn’t – to begin to address the skilled labor shortage they face, connect with future generations … and ensure the ongoing prosperity of the whole industry.”

More than 1,000 events are being planned throughout North America as part of the MFG DAY observance. The Kokomo Region activities are in conjunction with a statewide effort by Ivy Tech Community College to showcase MFG DAY across the state.

For more information, contact Tammy Herschberger at 765-252-5487 or therschberger1@ivytech.edu , or Jan Bailey at 765-252-5541 or jabailey@ivytech.edu .