Washtenaw Community College hosted its annual Manufacturing Day Friday, welcoming almost 200 students from across the Washtenaw Intermediate School District (WISD) and providing the opportunity to see a wide range of high-demand and high-wage career paths.
The Manufacturing Day event was split into morning and afternoon sessions and featured students from Ann Arbor Huron High School, Chelsea High School, Ypsilanti High School, Ypsilanti Lincoln High School and Manchester High School, along with others that make up the South & West Washtenaw Consortium.
Students toured WCC’s Mechatronics Lab, CNC Lab and Welding Lab and visited with local employers and representatives from Michigan Works! Southeast (MWSE). They participated in hands-on activities such as making metal WCC-branded cell phone stands in the welding area, engraving keychains in the CNC Lab and playing tic-tac-toe against a robot in the Mechatronics Lab.
The Manufacturing Institute (MI) and Deloitte predict a significant demand for up to 3.8 million workers between 2024 and 2033, with a potential for 1.9 million of those jobs to go unfilled due to persistent talent and skills gaps. Of open jobs, 2.8 million will come from retirement and 760,000 from industry growth; an estimated 230,000 jobs will be created from recent legislative and regulatory actions. On average, manufacturing workers in the U.S. earned $102,629 in 2023.
Manufacturing jobs include hands-on production roles such as machine operators, assemblers, and welders, alongside technical and engineering positions such as Industrial Engineers, CNC Machinists, and Quality Control Inspectors. Other roles involve Maintenance Technicians who repair equipment and Robotics Technicians who manage automation systems.
Ypsilanti High School senior Jamir Pratt (pictured at right) said he attended because he wanted to explore different career paths. “There are
a lot of opportunities no matter what your interest is. Everyone let us know how everything
is really connected,” he said.
At Ypsilanti, Pratt is in a manufacturing class, engineering applications class and participated in the robotics club.
Eric Jackson, Coordinator of Career Technical Education, Work-Based Learning for WISD, believes every career journey begins with experiential learning.
“At WCC we gain access, resources and great mentors that inspire and encourage our students,” Jackson said. “At Manufacturing Day, students experience a college campus that is full of innovation and talent, and immerse themselves in a rotation of CNC, welding and robotics programs. The students are also supported by building soft skills and connecting with local industry partners (our neighbors) and postsecondary pathways, including articulated credit, dual enrollment, college and direct to work.”
Jackson said these connections and resources help prepare students academically, technically and socially so that when they graduate, they carry an inspired and informed plan.
Manufacturing isn’t just about making things. It’s about shaping the future.
Harper Doyle, a junior at Manchester High School said his time at Manufacturing Day helped shape his future decisions.
“I wanted to come because I’m trying to find where I want to go to school and where I’m going to spend the next two to four years of my life," Doyle said. "I have made my decision that I want to come here.”
Doyle will pursue a welding career at WCC, home to the largest welding lab in the state.
Manchester High School currently features exploratory classes where students get real-life experiences working with metals and woods.
“In my four years in the classroom, I have seen the importance of this foundational knowledge and how it has helped early high school students follow a plan to continue on into one of the fields,” said Joseph Freeman, a Manchester teacher. “It’s cool to see these career explorations expand to show our students all the wonderful opportunities that are out there for careers.”
Duane Moss, a Chelsea High School teacher, said Manufacturing Day helps connect students in the classroom to the pathways that exist after high school.
“It’s a great way to showcase the many career options in manufacturing and help students start envisioning themselves in those roles,” Moss said. “About a quarter of our students express interest in pursuing manufacturing-related careers or continuing their education at WCC. For us, Manufacturing Day is an important chance to strengthen that connection.”
Manufacturing Day is just another example of WCC continuing to connect students with real-world experiences that open doors to the future.
“Our students always look forward to seeing the WCC labs and equipment firsthand, especially the kinds of advanced tools and technologies that aren’t always accessible at the high school level,” said Moss. “They get to see what it really takes to succeed and how the technical skills they’re building now can open doors to college and career success.”
A number of local companies, including the Michigan chapter of FAME (Federation of Advanced Manufacturing Education), sent representatives to talk about career opportunities with the students. Companies attending Manufacturing Day were ZOLLER, Kyocera, GUDEL, Medtronic, MMI Engineered Solutions and RealTruck.
MichAuto, Detroit Regional Chamber, Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation, Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) and Ann Arbor SPARK sponsored the event. Partnering with WCC was WISD.
“We greatly appreciate the sponsors and partners who make this year’s MFG Day activities possible,” said Kyrsten Rue, WCC’s Assistant Dean of Career and Technical Education. “It’s essential that future WCC students have access to our exceptional lab spaces and engage in hands-on experiences that let them explore our programs.
"We love seeing those sparks of interest during these events, knowing our efforts support exploration and connect students to meaningful educational and career pathways.”
Tags: Advanced Manufacturing, Manufacturing Day, Mechatronics, Robotics, Welding, Welding and Fabrication