Students from this past summer’s CCAT Young Manufacturers Academy are profiled by Connecticut Public Television (CPTV) for a video series on manufacturing. CT Public Learning Media Lab interns, funded by an American Graduate: Getting to Work grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, has depicted the varied perspectives about the manufacturing field through a project titled Working It Out. The project is an overall effort to identify specific reasons causing the gap between people and placement in the manufacturing industry.
CCAT’s Dream It. Do It. actively works to inspire a new generation of manufacturers year-round. Our Young Manufacturers Academy (YMA) summer program targets middle school students, introducing youth to the manufacturing industry through hands-on workshops and factory tours. CPTV’s Media Lab interns covered these activities as one of the solutions-based approaches to their story.
The story captured during YMA sessions was held at O’Brien Technical High School and Wepco Plastics, and showcases young people who are interested in manufacturing. CCAT’s Education & Workforce Specialist Jeff Pearce was interviewed for the piece and explains about how students were recruited and what it took to get YMA up and running. The students interviewed shared in their own words what they like about manufacturing and why they were interested in joining the program. Also featured is an interview with the Chief Financial Officer of Wepco Plastics, Charles Daniels, who stressed the importance of creating awareness around manufacturing, the importance of getting students interested in manufacturing early, and working closely with CCAT to complete that effort. CPTV Media Lab interns attended the YMA session held at Wepco Plastics, which featured a tour of the facility.