College of DuPage (COD) recently welcomed approximately 280 high school students to its fifth annual Manufacturing Technology Expo.
"This event provides a great opportunity to introduce high school students to a broad range of expanding and rewarding career paths available to workers in manufacturing and technical fields," said Manufacturing Technology Program Coordinator Jim Filipek. "There is a wide skills gap between the amount of jobs and the amount of people trained to do them and COD is consistently contacted by area employers looking for employees. This shows that there is a great need in the industry and there are not nearly enough workers being trained to fill these high-powered positions."
During the expo, students from Chicago area high schools, including Addison Trail, Downers Grove North, Fenton, Glenbard East, Glenbard South, Lake Park, Metea Valley, Naperville North, Wheaton Academy and Willowbrook high schools, learned about various career paths in manufacturing and engineering. The students met with local manufacturing employers, including Avanti Engineering, Bales USA, JD Norman, Laser Technologies, OSG Tap and Die, Power Packaging, Spraying Systems Co. and Valid USA, and attended breakout sessions, including a presentation about automation from FANUC America Robotics. In addition, the students toured the college's state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities and visited a local employer for a hands-on, close-up look at a professional manufacturing environment.
The Manufacturing Technology program at COD provides hands-on state-of-the-art training in a wide variety of skill areas of product manufacturing and services and offers degrees and certificates in automated manufacturing systems, drafting and design, manufacturing technology and manufacturing engineering technology.
For more information contact:
College of DuPage
425 Fawell Blvd.
Glen Ellyn, IL 60137
630-942-2800
www.cod.edu