On Monday, April 30th, at Fraser High School, there was a conference held in the media center about a new and advance program for manufacturing. It was a press conference that had Dave Richards, the superintendent, introduce the topic at hand.

“It’s truly is an honor to gather to celebrate and kick off a program that will benefits many of our students and is exciting, “ said Richards.

Manufacturing classes in Fraser annually have 150 kids, and the new program is meant to help those kids learn more about the industry, offer them opportunities, and let them look into the world of design. The program is set to launch in the 2018-2019 academic year, and has many business supporters such as I.F Metal Works, Oakley Industries, Fori Automators, MMA, GM, and more. Some representatives from some of the business came and spoke at the conference. One of the spokesman being Michael Simcoe, General Motors Vice President for Global Design, talking about the need for this program, need for new talents, and how crucial it is because of the lack of industry workers.

“Immersive learning is crucial to our future and our success in design, but also in the community we work in, therefore we are looking to expand opportunities. We need students who have hands on experience to help them make the right choice. Also to see that there is an alternative to the degree of strength,” said Simcoe, “Technology is changing many jobs, but it can’t replace the hands skill and craft we need in design.”

Any student can join the new program starting in the fall of 2018, and the program can help kids interested in industry to get a good look into it, and set them up on the right path.

Many employers are looking for young people with craftsmanship in building and sculpting, and other new skills in the rapidly changing industry. A changing industry that is looking for  new collared workers.

“Someone said to me ‘they aren’t blue collared jobs anymore, these are new collared jobs. They are good paying jobs with good opportunities.,’ and when I heard that it dawned on me that is the future.  We got to get people to understand that these are incredible opportunities for kids, and kids those opportunities are there. Schools are providing those opportunities now in high school so kids can explore what they would like to have, and I have to tell you, today’s workforce are looking for those new collared workers, and kids that want to have good, high-paying jobs with a technical nature, “ said Mark Hackel, Macomb County Executive,  “Again, parents need to recognize it’s not the old facilities of yesterday years, it’s completely different today what’s happening in these facilities, and we are looking forward to trying to give opportunities to kids.”

The school, CTE department, Macomb County, and all the business supporters hopes that the program is successful, benefits many students, and helps bring younger people into industry.