BEDFORD — More than 300 area middle school students recently stepped outside the classroom and onto the factory floor to gain a firsthand look at the high-tech career opportunities powering the region’s industrial sector.
A total of 343 students from Bedford Middle School and Mitchell Junior High School participated in Manufacturing Day, visiting local facilities to observe modern production techniques, interact with cutting-edge technology, and speak directly with industry professionals.
Organized to connect classroom learning with future career pathways, the initiative gave students an early look at regional employment options as they prepare to choose their high school coursework.
Thirteen local employer partners opened their doors for the event, including CAP Group, D&M Tool, IN-FAB, Indiana Steel, Innacos, PRD, Rogers Group, SAIC, SAMCO, Stone City Products, TriStar, WF Meyers, and Whitney Tool. Fastenal provided personal protective equipment to ensure students could tour the active production environments safely.
Post-event surveys indicate the hands-on exposure made a measurable impression on attendees. Before the tours, 32.5% of participating students reported considering a career in advanced manufacturing. Following the experience, that figure rose to 49.4%—a 16.9 percentage-point increase.
“These experiences matter because students cannot consider opportunities they do not know exist,” said Apryl Kidd, Director of the Collaboration of Shoals, Mitchell, and Orleans Schools (COSMOS). “Seeing the percentage of students considering advanced manufacturing increase from 32.5% to 49.4% reinforces the importance of getting students into workplaces and allowing them to see these careers for themselves. Our employer partners are helping students make connections between what they are learning today and what their future could look like.”
Students echoed that sentiment in their feedback following the tours.
“I liked learning about different manufacturing jobs that are an option for the future,” one student noted. Another added, “I liked how they were telling us how things work and what they do on the job site.”
The event was sponsored by the Lawrence County Economic Growth Council and Stone City Products, highlighting a broader regional effort among educators, economic development leaders, and private industry to strengthen career-connected learning for Lawrence County youth.
