The trades are alive and well in the City of Portage; plans for large-scale redevelopment and renovation mean there will be jobs for years in the area. From bricklayers to iron workers to plumbers, Portage has everything it needs to continue expanding in abundance, but students may not realize all of the opportunities in their own backyards.
For the past seven years, the Portage Economic Development Corporation (EDC) has partnered with Portage Township Schools and its local business partners to host Manufacturing 360, an educational, hands-on field trip that familiarizes Portage High School students with manufacturing opportunities in the city.
“The Portage EDC’s mission is business attraction, expansion, retention. One of the things we've learned, especially when it comes to retention, is that a lot of the employers’ first concern is the workforce,” said Andy Maletta, executive director of the Portage EDC. “We thought we could fill a nice role in helping expose high school kids to the various jobs in the Region, whether it's manufacturing jobs, or as is the case this year, trades.”
This year, the Portage EDC decided to put a new spin on the program. Instead of focusing solely on manufacturing jobs, this year’s program featured a number of trades – ironworkers, sheet metal workers, construction workers – through the Portage EDC’s partnership with the Construction Advancement Foundation (CAF).
“I sit on the Board of Directors at the Portage EDC, and Andy Maletta actually came up to me and said, ‘Hey, can we do something with construction?’” said Director of Professional Development with the CAF Kevin Comerford. “I reached out to the ironworkers, the operating engineers, and the sheet metal workers because they're all based here locally near Portage, and they were happy to come out and do some hands-on activities with the kids and talk about the different apprenticeship programs they offer.”
Students began the day hearing presentations from Comerford, a representative from Ironworkers Local 395, and a representative from the local operating engineers before heading to the Sheet Metal Workers Joint Training Facility for some hands-on experience creating tool trays and working with simulations.
“The earlier you get in, the better it is for your career,” said Comerford. “If you get in too late, you probably won't be able to accrue all the hours that you would need in order to get a full pension collection. The sooner you make that career choice the better for you as an individual because you have more earning potential throughout your lifetime.”
Portage High School, through its Project Lead the Way (PLTW) classes and partnership with the Porter County Career Center, has been helping students discover the trades for a long time. Partnering with the Portage EDC for Manufacturing 360 just made sense.
“We have a lot of programming available at our schools that teach our students about the different trades that are available in our area,” said Melissa Deavers, director of Communications and Community Engagement, Portage Township Schools. “We have those classroom experiences, and this is where the kids really get to see the hands-on side of it and learn what they can do with what they've learned in the classroom. This is a great opportunity for us to show our students jobs that are available right here in Northwest Indiana, particularly Portage.”
The students were engaged from beginning to end, whether this was their first exposure to the trades or if they had family who have worked the trades all their lives.
“I've been interested in the trades since I was younger, and this has just made me want to do it more,” said Portage High School Sophomore John Kuehl. “It's fun; it's a good program.”
None of this would be possible without the support of the Portage EDC’s partners who contribute to the growth and development of Portage’s future.
“Thank you to our partners,” said Maletta. “Portage Township Schools who have always been part of this program, the trades that are here today and others in the past – we couldn't do it without those partnerships with everybody. We as an organization couldn't pull this off without those partners, so it's great that we can all work together.”
Those looking for more information on the trades in the Region should visit webuildnwi.com, one of the resources used in the Manufacturing 360 presentations and a valuable aid for anyone thinking of joining a trade.
For more information on the Portage Economic Development Corporation, visit www.portagein.org.
