Chatham-Kent Economic Development & Tourism Services in partnership with the Lambton Kent District School Board has coordinated a Manufacturing Career Day event to provide students with the opportunity to visit various manufacturers throughout the municipality, Municipal officials say.
Choosing a career path can be difficult for high school students trying to navigate through various options once they graduate. Participating manufacturers will open their doors to provide students and teachers with an immersive experience of what the company does and potential career opportunities within their industry.
“There may be traditional mindsets of what manufacturing careers look like and it’s very important to give youth an opportunity to see what has changed in the manufacturing industry, and also what is coming up in the near future,” said Rosemarie Montgomery, Chatham-Kent Economic Development Officer, in a press release.
While skilled trades positions are essential to the manufacturing sector, employers also may be looking to hire engineers, designers, or those operating technical equipment and utilizing various software programs. Automation, AI and emerging technologies are becoming more prominent in this sector and career opportunities are also adapting to meet future demands.
“Seeing, feeling, and experiencing the workplace culture in-person is significantly important to help students decide if the fit is right for them,” said Sean Columbus, Chatham-Kent Economic Development Officer, in a media release.
“This is one of the main reasons why Chatham-Kent provides the opportunity for the students to meet existing businesses in the community and learn what they do by being fully immersed with the workplace experience.”
Manufacturing is Chatham-Kent’s largest industry in terms of export revenue, bringing in over $2.97 billion dollars in 2021. 12.8 % of Chatham-Kent’s labour force is employed in the manufacturing sector. Chatham-Kent is expecting to see an 11% increase in manufacturing between 2024-2031.
To learn more about manufacturing in Chatham-Kent, visit www.investck.ca.
