Students Tour Local Manufacturers

studentsfactoryHigh school students from Warner Public Schools toured two local manufacturing companies on Friday. At Georgia-Pacific, students heard from community leaders who discussed the importance of manufacturing to Muskogee’s economy and learned about the variety of career opportunities available at Muskogee’s largest manufacturing employers.

“With more than 3,500 workers, Muskogee is one of the largest manufacturing communities in the state”, said Marie Synar, deputy director of the Port of Muskogee’s Industrial Development office. “According to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics, the average salary for manufacturing jobs in Muskogee is greater than $52,000 per year. We want these students to realize that no matter what their interested in, from engineering and production to human resources and accounting, there are opportunities for them to earn a good living right here in Muskogee.”

studentsfactory1At Dal-Tile, students heard from a panel of young adults employed by Acme Engineering and Manufacturing, Advantage Controls, Dal-Tile, and Georgia-Pacific. These young panelists visited with students about how they first got involved in manufacturing and the type of education and training needed for jobs within their companies.

Warner is the fourth school to participate in the manufacturing awareness tours, organized by the Port of Muskogee’s Dream It. Do It. Committee. The committee, comprised of education and industry partners is tasked with combating the negative perceptions of the manufacturing industry and raising awareness of local manufacturing careers.

Dal-Tile is one of eight local manufacturers serving on the Port’s Dream It. Do It. committee, partnering with educational and workforce partners to develop strategies to create a future pipeline of workers. “We are pleased to host these students on a tour of our facility,” said Joseph Fuller, human resources manager for Dal-Tile. “There are a variety of jobs in Muskogee, and we need to educate our teachers and students about the opportunities available in the manufacturing industry.”

For more information about the Dream It. Do It. Committee, contact Marie Synar, Deputy Director of Industrial Development, Port of Muskogee, 918-682-7887 or email marie@muskogeeport.com.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *