The Cool Jobs Tour Shows Students and Parents What Manufacturing Really Looks Like in Elk River
October 7, 2024
Students at Independent School District (ISD) 728 will have multiple opportunities to look inside local manufacturing plants on Tuesday, October 22, as part of the Cool Jobs Tour. They can choose between three local manufacturers for the first two tours (CAD, Metal Craft, and J&J Machine, Inc.) and then meet as a group for a tour and a panel on careers and manufacturing at Sportech. The Cool Jobs Tour is held in the evening, from 4:00 PM to 7:30 PM, to encourage parents to attend. This tour is designed to showcase today’s manufacturing environment and the types of jobs found there.
“Manufacturing has changed a lot in the last 40 years – and even in the last five years,” says Amy Lord, Career & Technical Education (CTE) Coordinator at ISD 728. “Technology is constantly evolving and changing the manufacturing space. There are more high-level, high-tech positions as a result.”
Mark your calendars for October 22 to see how manufacturing impacts Elk River's economy. While geared toward students and parents, the Cool Jobs Tour is also open to the public as long as you register before October 18.
Manufacturing Creates Diverse, High-Paying Careers
Many people are aware of the manufacturing facilities in Elk River, but they don’t know what goes on behind their doors. Without having a clear idea of what manufacturing careers look like, residents often lean on outdated stereotypes that manufacturing is a dirty, loud, low-paying field. The Cool Jobs Tour brings transparency to manufacturing and demystifies this career field.
“Manufacturing companies are usually located in industrial parks in concrete buildings and you can’t see what’s inside them,” says Lord. “Opening those doors and offering tours is super valuable.”
Modern manufacturing facilities have open positions in a variety of fields, including production, quality, engineering, business management, IT, HR, accounting, and marketing. Many manufacturing jobs can be started with a high school diploma and on-the-job training. There are also many opportunities for people with college degrees in science, technology, math, or engineering. As of 2021, the average manufacturing employee in Minnesota earns $88,784.20 per year.
“Many of the major employers in Elk River are connected to the manufacturing sector in some way,” says Brent O’Neil, Economic Development Director at City of Elk River Economic Development. “Students get to see where they can work someday and get a clear reason why they should stay in Elk River after graduation.”
The Cool Jobs Tour Starts Discussions on Student Career Paths
This event is designed to help students better understand the manufacturing field and recognize this industry as a potentially lucrative career path. However, it also introduces parents to the world of modern manufacturing.
Nearly half (48%) of students rely on parent input when navigating the college admissions process. Today’s youth are increasingly turning to their parents for guidance as they enter adulthood. When parents see that manufacturing companies offer highly skilled, well-paying jobs, they can endorse this field and local Elk River companies.
“Manufacturing has many production occupations, including machinists, assemblers, fabricators, and welders, as well as engineering and management occupations,” says Lord.
Elk River High School offers three levels of engineering, welding, and manufacturing courses, along with a computer-aided design class to introduce students to careers in manufacturing. Juniors and Seniors who have successfully taken at least one of these classes can also move to the CTE Internship Class, which has students earning and learning on the job. Internships in manufacturing are approved for 16 and 17-year-olds through the YST program with the Department of Labor and Industry.
“You will hear from a current Elk River High School manufacturing intern on the panel on October 22 about his experience and how the Cool Jobs Tour connected him to the internship,” says Lord.
Employers Benefit Through Recruiting and Exposure
Local manufacturing companies also benefit from participating in the Cool Jobs Tour. This is a great opportunity to find potential CTE Interns and market their organizations to soon-to-be graduates. When students are interested in manufacturing, the number of qualified applications for each open position increases.
Manufacturing companies can also benefit from meeting with parents and the general public. The Cool Jobs Tour makes people aware of what they do and builds community buy-in. This tour can also attract talent for higher-level positions that are harder to fill.
“I would love to see more people attend,” says Lord. “There are great opportunities in manufacturing and there are great opportunities within the Elk River community.”
ISD 728 Uses the Cool Jobs Tour to Support Career Readiness
ISD 728 is an asset to Elk River. It serves more than 14,000 students across 10 elementary schools, six middle schools, and four high schools. Not only is this school system desirable for parents who want to raise prepared, well-rounded students, but it is also valuable to employers in the area. Employers partnering with ISD 728 have a head start on building a strong workforce with students who are ready to enter the workforce.
If you haven’t attended the Cool Jobs Tour before, this year provides a great opportunity for you and your teens. See firsthand the impact manufacturing has on Elk River.
