Tag: Mahoning Valley Manufacturers Coalition

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Media Coverage

Study: Traditional four-year degree losing steam among teens

More than half of teenagers are open to alternatives to a traditional college degree to prepare them for a career.

 

According to a 2021 survey by ECMC Group, just 48 percent of high school students are considering a four-year degree. That number is down from 71 percent from May 2020.

 

More than half of those surveyed feel they can achieve success in three years or fewer of education, including through apprenticeships.

 

Among the “quicker pathways to careers” they view as most appealing: trade skills and on-the-job training.

 

What can that mean for manufacturing?

A new phase in manufacturing

 

Alex Hertzer, MVMC assistant director, said the timing of the survey’s findings is great news for Mahoning Valley manufacturers. To capitalize on the opportunity, he said we must acknowledge and defeat the still-lingering stigmas of industry along with a misconception of how to approach growing the talent pipeline.

 

“We need to promote to job seekers that we’re in a new era in manufacturing,” Hertzer said.

 

Employee works machine at Extrudex.
Hunter Wess began his career in manufacturing through WorkAdvance, a program teaching him the basics of the industry.

That new era includes more technology, automation, safety, clean and bright facilities, and real career paths.

 

It’s finding a way to relate the new industry shifts to Gen Z and future generations, Hertzer said.

 

“As a high school senior, some information might come from influencers.”

 

Using local influencers is a way to show teens “manufacturing is enticing. There are benefits, good pay and the biggest thing right now: culture.”

 

Job seekers want to have that life-work balance, Hertzer said.

 

It’s important that job seekers see a logo or hear a manufacturing company name and immediately associate it with a positive culture, he added.

 

Hertzer said to reach Gen Z to dispel old ideas about manufacturing, the approach of explaining is key.

 

“It’s about rebranding manufacturing as an opportunity. It’s not just an option.”

 

Hertzer said collectively we need to convey a consistently positive message about today’s manufacturing careers.

 

“Let people know yes, you’re going to work hard and sweat, but you’re going to feel you’re part of a family, you’ll have great benefits, your supervisors are there to help you. You’ll have a career path and will grow,” Hertzer said.

Learning while earning

 

Providing opportunities for Gen Z to start making money right as they graduate can be crucial, Hertzer said.

 

Apprenticeships give people a feel for what work needs to be done, and it allows apprentices to mesh with seasoned employees while learning on-the-job.

 

In the survey, 65 percent said they felt skills should be learned in a lab setting or somewhere hands-on. Another 53 percent would opt to gain skills in apprenticeship-type experiences.

 

Locally that can be done through programs like WorkAdvance and registered pre-apprenticeships and apprenticeships.

 

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Faces of Manufacturing

WorkAdvance teaches Hubbard man skills needed to succeed in manufacturing

At 18 years old, Hunter Wess is already saving for a house.

 

That’s not all the fiscal responsibility he has.

 

“I just opened a retirement fund, too. When I’m 19, I’ll get a 401k.”

 

These benefits were made possible through WorkAdvance.

Taking advantage of WorkAdvance

 

Wess was able to set up his future right out of high school taking a job at Extrudex Aluminum in North Jackson.

 

Helping him gain a range of skills to prepare for the opportunity was WorkAdvance.

Hunter Wess applies what his peers at Extrudex Aluminum in North Jackson teach him about running a press. He was hired in after graduation when he completed the WorkAdvance program.

 

Offered through MVMC, those enrolled learn the basics of manufacturing while earning a stipend over a six-week period.

 

The course was offered while Wess, 18, was a senior at MVMC education partner, Trumbull Career and Technical Center.

 

“I went through the classes to get manufacturing certificates,” he said.

 

Through a partnership with Goodwill Industries, Wess also earned customer service credentials.

 

“They helped us with practicing what to do in interviews,” Wess said.

 

Right after graduation, he was hired to work on the saw, stacking aluminum extrusions. He learned how to use the crane and stretchers so he can straighten the extrusion as it comes out of the press.

 

Now, “I’m learning how to run the extrusion press.”

 

Prior to enrolling in WorkAdvance, Wess didn’t know what was involved in manufacturing. “I had no idea about plants like Extrudex and how they run.”

 

Originally, he went to TCTC for the construction track, specifically to build house frames.

 

Now that he has an understanding of manufacturing, he’s happy he can do what he enjoys and get paid for it.

 

“I’ve always had a fascination with seeing machines, figuring out how they work. Now I work with these giant industrial machines and I run them.”

Having that work-life balance

 

Throughout high school, Wess worked in fast-food.

 

That meant scarce wages, unpredictable schedules and no health insurance.

 

Working at Extrudex, Wess works two 12-hour shifts, then is off for two days. “I get a lot of days off to do whatever I want.” There is also plenty of opportunity to work overtime, he said.

 

It was through WorkAdvance that he was able to have stability at a young age.

 

Mostly online, he said it was worth the time and energy. “I ended up learning a lot more than I thought I would.”

 

Most of what he learned through the program he was able to apply directly to his job at Extrudex.

 

“There was some stuff I thought I would never use, but I came here and thought, ‘Oh, now it makes sense.’”

At 18 years old, Hunter Wess of Hubbard is already saving for a house. He also has started investing in retirement, due to starting a career in manufacturing straight out of high school.

 

Going through WorkAdvance, Wess was able to learn certain skills faster at Extrudex because he already had an idea of what to expect, he said.

 

For example, there was an entire section on cranes, which came in handy. “I already knew how to do all of the safety and run the cranes.”

Teamwork

 

As Wess has worked at Extrudex, he has picked up what his peers do, and they have helped teach him how to use machinery.

 

“I learned how to run the saw as I stood and watched them,” he said. Eventually, he learned all the different commands on the keyboard, and he’s built his skills from there.

 

As he learns new skills, Wess is able to work other jobs at Extrudex.

 

“If the saw operator’s not able to come in, I can do it.”

 

The ability to learn a swatch of skills is an all-hands-on-deck approach at Extrudex, Wess said. There’s also a team-oriented atmosphere with the company.

 

He works with the same people, so he’s gotten to know them. Sometimes they’ll hang out.

 

“Everyone helps each other.” Whenever someone can’t make it to work, everyone pitches in and shuffles jobs for the day if needed to keep operations smooth, Wess said.

Go for it

 

Now that he has been learning the ropes of manufacturing, Wess said he sees himself doing his line of work for a long time.

 

Anyone looking for a first-time job or a career change should consider manufacturing, he said.

 

“The best thing you can do is research” when job searching.

 

For manufacturing, “you don’t need a whole lot of external training to come here. They have entry-level positions and as you learn, you move up,” Wess said.

 

“It’s definitely worth it.”

 

When he’s not working, Wess spends time with friends, camping and working in the man cave – his shed.

 

Categories
Member Manufacturers

Beatitude House teens tour Brilex to learn about manufacturing job opportunities

While Brilex Industries works to design and build specialized heavy equipment for customers around the world, the local advanced manufacturer also likes to spark interest in manufacturing careers.

 

That was the case when 13 teens from the Beatitude House toured their facility.

Brilex worker shows kids the equipment
Brilex machine shop manager Jason Jones explains what he does to a group of kids from Beatitude House, hoping to spark their interest in a future career in manufacturing.

The nonprofit reached out to Mahoning Valley Manufacturing Coalition to set up a series of tours of trade and manufacturing facilities as part of its summer program for juveniles.

 

Through education and safe living, the Beatitude House helps disadvantaged women and children.

 

MVMC is a network of valley manufacturers who work together to create a skilled workforce by a number of ways, including raising awareness of different types of work in manufacturing, which can lead to higher wages. Skills are also assessed for employees, both current and future.

 

Brilex opened its doors to give the teens, between the seventh and 12th grades, a glimpse at what it means to work in a manufacturing position.

 

Opening their eyes to today’s manufacturing jobs

 

“So many young folks, and their parents, have a misconception that manufacturing is dark and dirty work,” Brilex plant manager Ryan Engelhardt, said. “Through tours, youths can see different aspects of work done in the field, and in this case, Brilex.”

 

group shot from Beatitude House kids
Tours like the one Brilex hosted with Beatitude House enables teens to see the possibilities that exist with careers in advanced manufacturing.

Speaking on a local level, tours allow for young people to see various types of work done here in the Mahoning Valley, said Katie Denno, marketing manager for Brilex.

 

As manufacturers hold tours, more interest is generated in the field, Engelhardt said. That in turn creates a “potential pool” of people who are likely to look into the field when they are ready for employment.

 

Partnering with MVMC, Jennifer Battaglia, child wellness coordinator for The Beatitude House, said the Brilex tour showed the kids different employees, ranging from welders to machinists to engineers, work together in the same building.

 

The summer program works to show the kids that college doesn’t have to be the only option they have after graduating high school.

 

“It was important to us that they were able to experience what it could like to go to a trade school, and the jobs they would be doing in manufacturing if they choose that path,” Battaglia said.

 

Tours were also held at Youngstown State University and Eastern Gateway Community College, which will lead to conversations with the teens throughout the school year about what they would like to pursue, Battaglia said.

Categories
Faces of Manufacturing

Faces of Manufacturing – Sugeily Melendez

Sugeily Melendez is a mom by day and packer at a Mahoning Valley aluminum extrusion company by night. She has worked at Pennex Aluminum in Leetonia for just under two years and is already climbing the “aluminum ladder.”

Her career with Pennex began as a forklift operator. She has since moved to her current position as packer and is in training to become a loader. Part of her drive to keep moving forward comes from her desire to dispel stereotypes of what women “can’t do.”

melendez at Pennex
Sugeily Melendez of Youngstown is a single mother who found a rewarding career in manufacturing that offers the flexibility and clean environment she was looking for.

“I feel I’m more competitive than some of the men and I’m always trying to set goals to surpass my trainers and move past stereotypes of what women can’t do. Anyone can be successful here when they show up with a good attitude and the willingness to learn something new,” she said.

Single mom derives motivation from her kids

Her primary motivation, however, comes from her children. Melendez is a single mother of three. She loves the overnight shift because it allows her the flexibility to maintain a successful work-life balance.

“Third shift is perfect for me as a single parent. I spend time with my kids and get them ready for bed at their grandma’s or their dad’s before I head to work and then I’m home in the morning to get them ready for school. While they’re in school, I nap and then we do it all over again,” said Melendez.

Family is a part of the core values at Pennex, she described.

“The atmosphere here is like one big family. They’re also very flexible when it comes to sick kids and doctor appointments,” she added.

melendez working
In less than 2 years, Melendez has already advanced multiple times at Pennex, currently working in the shipping department on the 3rd shift.

In addition to schedule flexibility and a welcoming workforce, Melendez, of Youngstown, said Pennex Aluminum also offers a safe and clean work environment.

“I just came off of a 10-hour shift and I’m still clean. I can rock my nails and I’ve never broken one. This is not a dirty, dusty place. It is a clean and healthy place to work,” said Melendez.

Pennex Aluminum is a member of Mahoning Valley Manufacturers Coalition.

Pennex and many other local manufacturers are currently looking for dedicated individuals to join their teams. On-the-job training is available and no experience is required. Interested applicants for Pennex can explore openings here.

Categories
Media Coverage

Business Journal Showcases Pennex in Brain Gain Navigators Segment

Pennex Aluminum is the latest MVMC member to be featured in a Business Journal Brain Gain Navigators segment. The live Q&A with area high school students took place May 5.

Navigators screen grab
Pennex Aluminum of Leetonia was featured May 5, 2021 in a Brain Gain Navigators segment. Jera Daye, recruiting specialist, provided a detailed look at the various career path options available.

Click here for a replay of the entire segment and a quick 2-minute video from Pennex’s Leetonia, Ohio operations.

Mahoning Valley Manufacturers Coalition is among the title sponsors of Business Journal Brain Gain, a year-long forum for showcasing the various career opportunities available to young people in the Mahoning Valley.