Students from the Byron-Bergen Jr./Sr. High School got a close look inside several of Genesee County’s leading advanced manufacturing facilities recently. Teacher Jay Wolcott’s Manufacturing Systems class visited four companies to assess the local job market, learn about pay and benefits, see potential job opportunities, and hear about the skills employers look for.
Host companies included Bergen’s Liberty Pumps, along with LeRoy businesses Aluminum Injection Mold (AIM), PCORE Electric Company and Orcon Industries.
Company representatives explained the varied career opportunities available at manufacturing companies like these, including jobs in assembly, engineering, sales, marketing and management.
Students came away with the understanding that successful job applicants must have strong skills in basic math, problem-solving, and communication, along with, at minimum, a high school diploma or GED. Each company visited stressed their support for job-specific training and college course work.
Students toured the Liberty Pumps facility, experiencing the machining of pump housings, powder coat finishing, assembly, inspection, packaging, and finally, the global shipping process. At AIM, they followed the prototype manufacturing process from the initial customer design requirements, to machining of the aluminum injection mold and molding of plastic parts.
PCORE manufactures bushings for the high voltage electric transformer units used by power companies. Students observed a demonstration of using electricity to check for defects that took place in a completely dark lab that concluded with electrical humming and flying sparks. At Orcon, a custom industrial packaging company, students observed first-hand the need for problem-solving skills in all areas of the operation.
Using their experiences with the participating companies, students completed a technical report assessing the job opportunities at each company, concluding with their opinion on the best job fit for them.
The career exploration trip was arranged with the help of the Genesee County Business Education Alliance (BEA).
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