On Oct. 6, students from Williamsburg-James City County Public Schools visited Anheuser-Busch, Owens-Illinois, Coresix Precision Glass, Ball Corporation, Nicewood Enterprises, Printpack and the James City County Five Forks Water Treatment Plant for Manufacturing Day.
Students from Jamestown, Lafayette and Warhill high schools saw first-hand how advanced technology has changed manufacturing and learned about the skills needed to qualify for high-paying and fulfilling careers in the industry. This was the fifth annual Manufacturing Day hosted in James City County.
Guidance counselors, teachers, School Board members and James City County staff accompanied the students. The tours concluded with a discussion and lunch at Legacy Hall. As in previous years, students were in awe of the potential career opportunities available in the local manufacturing sector.
“Anheuser-Busch values participating in Manufacturing Day and enjoys being able to host a group of local students to tour our plant and learn about the manufacturing process,” said Bryan Derr, General Manager. “We hire talented employees from all over Hampton Roads and always look for students to take an interest in manufacturing career opportunities.”
Manufacturing Day is an initiative of the Association for Manufacturing Excellence designed to reach out to schools to foster an interest in manufacturing careers and to help to develop science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) programs. Locally, Manufacturing Day is coordinated by the County’s Office of Economic Development and Williamsburg-James City County Schools in conjunction with Glenn Marshall with Association for Manufacturing Excellence. To date, more than 400 local students have participated in the program.
Governor Terence R. McAuliffe declared Oct. 6, 2017 as Manufacturing Day in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The resolution states that Virginia is home to more than 6,250 manufacturing establishments and employs approximately 230,000 workers.
To learn more about Manufacturing Day, visit the website.
Media Contact:
Amy Jordan, Economic Development Director
757-253-6607; amy.jordan@jamescitycountyva.gov