National Manufacturing Day at Cerritos College Opens Doors for Students

NORWALK, Calif. - Oct. 9, 2013 - PRLog -- Over 100 high school students, Educators, Industry Professionals, job seekers, and other local community members attended the event in celebration of National Manufacturing Day on October 4, 2013.

Modern manufacturing environments are commonly thought of as dark, dangerous factories designed for low-skilled workers. Manufacturing Day addresses this misperception by giving all manufacturers an opportunity to open their doors and show, in a coordinated effort, what manufacturing really is in this day and age:

• Manufacturing is technologically advanced, with ample use of automation, 3-D printing, robots, and screen technology.

• The annual average salary of manufacturing workers is more than $77,000.

• Manufacturers have the highest job tenure in the private sector.

• 90 percent of manufacturing workers have medical benefits.

Lunch was provided from a startup company, Papa D’z Pizza Fresca, which was created by students of the Cerritos College Technology Division. During lunch, guest speaker, Nathalie Gosset the leader of the Marketing and Business Development functions the Alfred Mann Institute at USC, presented on “Jobs for the Future.”The Cerritos College departments for Plastics & Composites, Welding, Machine Tool Technology, Woodworking, Automotive Repair, and Engineering Design Technology provided guests a tour of their facilities and interactive demonstrations.

Engineering Technology Department presented on robotics and mechatronics lab. The visitors were introduced to the concepts of computer integrated manufacturing processes, and had a chance to have a hands-on experience programming a 5 and 6 axis articulated industrial robotics arm trainer and following model of the automated ground vehicle. The visitors were also introduced to the concepts of robot programming using the Lynx motion AL5D robotic arm, Vex Robotics based AGV model, and were introduced to the manufacturing cell consisting of an Intellitek CNC machine and articulated arm robot.

"There are many careers in this field. It is very exciting and rapidly expanding. Manufacturing engineering is one of the most high in demand career. You can find employment in 5 axis machining, robotics, additive manufacturing engineering, manufacturing engineering, computer programing, facilities operator, programming the design of facilities, technical salesmen,” said Engineering Design Technology Instructor, Dr. Mickey Micic. “The trainers and models used in the Cerritos College MTT180, ET102 and NPD106 classes were used for the demonstrations. By providing these events, we open new doors for students. Students are able to explore different fields of interest, learn about opportunities available, and work in careers that truly fascinate them.”

ABOUT THE PROGRAM:

Cerritos College Pathway Programs Department’s mission is to create educational and career pathways for young adults by providing a seamless transition from secondary to post-secondary education and the skilled workforce. Visit the Pathway Programs at http://cms.cerritos.edu/pathways/ or call at (562) 860-2451 Ext. 2487.

Cerritos College Technology Division’s mission is to provide a wide range of career and technical education options to help students pursue an occupational goal. To learn more, visit the Technology Division at http://cms.cerritos.edu/technology/ or https://www.facebook.com/CerritosCollegeFabLabs or call us at (562) 860-2451 Ext. 2900.

To learn more about Manufacturing Day, visit www.mfgday.com or call: 1-888-394-4362 or email at info@mfgday.com.