Clarendon County hosts Youth Manufacturing Expo

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Clarendon County eighth graders will learn about manufacturing opportunities in the county at the Youth Manufacturing Expo on Friday, November 9. Held at the FE Dubose campus, the event was a coordinated effort between the Clarendon County Development Board, the Clarendon County Chamber of Commerce, Clarendon County Adult Education, Central Carolina Technical College and the public and private schools within Clarendon County. On Friday, 230 students will be bussed in from their respective middle schools, along with a select group of tenth grade students. After being broken into groups of 25, the students will be escorted by volunteer chaperones through the campus. Students will be introduced to 12 manufacturers and will hear about the companies and what they need to learn to work there. “Really the goal of this is to come together. Now is the time to build the future work force up. With unemployment rates where they are today, we need to do something to make sure our young kids coming out of high school in the next two to four years can stay here and work in manufacturing,” said George Kosinski, Director of Clarendon County Economic Development. Kosinski stressed the importance of math, science, engineering and technology, as well as the arts, and the need to teach our youth to build on those skills. “Our future workforce in Clarendon County and in the surrounding counties depends on the youth we have. Changing their perception of the way manufacturing used to be in the 1970s, ’80s and ’90s, compared to how it is today, is important. It’s much more automated now,” said Kosinski. The manufacturing companies present will include Powell Valves, Continental Tire, Bicycle Corporation of America-Kent and Ideology. The Fire Department will also be present to talk to the students. The groups will also be taken on tours of the campus to learn about the educational opportunities available. After the tours, students will participate in Clarendon-County-manufacturing-related Jeopardy games, and the event will conclude with lunch from Chick-fil-A and time to explore the fire trucks. “We want to get them excited about manufacturing,” said Kosinski, who hopes the event will become an annual event. “It’s a way for them to raise a family with a good livable wage and still buy some of the toys they want along the way. Manufacturing is alive and well in Clarendon County, and it continues to grow.”