NewAge Industries welcomes middle school students.
On Tuesday, December 13, plastic tubing manufacturer NewAge Industries welcomed several students and teachers from Neil A. Armstrong Middle School in Fairless Hills, Pa. The students made the trip to NewAge as part of the "Dream It. Do It. PA" contest designed to bring awareness of manufacturing careers to middle school students. The contest involves the production of a short video that highlights career opportunities at manufacturing companies.“I believe it’s important for kids to know that manufacturing jobs don’t have to be boring. There are positions at NewAge that involve computerized testing and monitoring equipment, innovative machinery development, quality control and clean room operations, engineering and other advanced manufacturing techniques,” says Ken Baker, NewAge CEO. “They’re jobs that may not require a four-year college degree, but STEM skills and a strong desire for continued learning definitely come into play.”
Started in Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley in 2013, the Dream It. Do It. PA challenge has widened to include the Greater Philadelphia area, Berks and Chester counties, and the Pittsburgh region. Schools are matched with area manufacturing companies, and the students then visit those companies with their teachers. The children shoot video, take photographs, interview employees, and later edit their footage to produce a video highlighting the types of advanced manufacturing careers available. The videos are organized under a program titled “What’s So Cool About Manufacturing?” and are voted on in February.
Several Armstrong Middle School students and two teachers toured NewAge Industries’ silicone tubing production areas, plastic tubing extrusion rooms, custom hose assembly shops, product testing areas, quality assurance stations, and its warehouse.
For more information, visit: www.dreamitdoitpa.org
