Issue link: http://www.insightdigital.biz/i/130708
educatio n & tr aining Opening up opportunities Manufacturers strive to bring real-world experiences to K-12 students By Nikki Kallio "Once kids find the relevancy of what they're doing in school, I mean, it's like light bulbs. It's like Fourth-ofJuly light bulbs." – Lori Peacock, career and technical education and counseling coordinator for the Green Bay Area Public School District 16 | An ongoing mission of area manufacturers has been to help engage elementary, middle and high school students in the idea of a STEM-related career. It's working. Trouble is, there aren't always enough opportunities for kids who are seeking hands-on experiences with their future career pathways in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. "Let's say I'm working with an eighth- or ninth-grader," says Lori Peacock, career and technical education and counseling coordinator / insight on manufacturing • May 2013 for the Green Bay Area Public School District. "And we're doing his individual planning conference, and he says to me, 'I really want to be a welder.' That's awesome. That's really great – he understands it, he works well with his hands, he really sees that as a career that's viable for him. Now, how do I get him exposure to that career as a 14- or 15-year-old?" Peacock might potentially set up a job shadow, but beyond that, there's not much she can do to get that student any welding experience. Peacock and manufacturers in the NEW Manufacturing Alliance are talking about ways to develop more opportunities for younger students to get exposure to careers in manufacturing – such as through classes, summer camps or speakers. It's all a matter of providing more tools in the students' w w w.in s i g h t o n m f g .c o m