More students get glimpse of manufacturing industry

The 9th annual Manufacturing Day was held on Oct. 6, 2023. (Bob Bellacicco/CTV News Windsor)

It was a fun field trip to Anchor Danly for Villanova student Sebastian Falconio, “I really liked how they showed how to weld.”

The welding area was one of the more popular stops as students visited the shop for Manufacturing Day.

“I found that really cool and that's something I want to pursue when I'm older,” said Falconio.

Friday marked the 9th annual Manufacturing Day. It's a joint effort between Workforce Windsor-Essex, Invest Windsor-Essex, the Canadian Association of Moldmakers, and Automate Canada.

Friday’s event was the largest yet, with over a thousand students, 19 manufacturers, and 21 unique locations to visit. According to Workforce Windsor-Essex, skilled trades employs over 18-percent of our region making it the largest sector.

“We're hoping these sort of events pique the interest of those students as well as those who are already interested, those that are in shop classes,” said Project Coordinator Safa Youness.

Westview Freedom Academy teacher John Konopaski feels it’s important for students to see the real world.

“I think it's very important that they get exposure and a lot of them will be going right into the workplace so I think it's good to see different things they can do when they finish school,” he said.

However, manufacturing isn't for everyone.

“It's just not my thing, but it does look really unique and interesting,” said Villanova student Anna Zhukovska.

Others are at least open to contemplating a career in manufacturing following Friday’s excursion.

“Maybe, but I already had a few things in mind that I was thinking of doing before this,” said Cullen Spencer.

The shortage of skilled trade workers is not a secret across the province. There are currently seven CNC Machine Operator jobs open at Anchor Danly.

Company CEO John Spillane said an age gap is only going to get bigger and the need for young talent is important.

“The average age of the skilled trade person is sort of high 40s mid-50s, and there’s going to be a huge gap here in the next 10-20 [years] and now is the time to get people interested so that it’s possible to fill that gap,” said Spillane, who feels an event like this could help insert reality into a perception of the industry.

“If people realized that skilled trades are also involving a quite a bit of technology now as well. It's not just grinding or something like that. There's a lot of IT with some of the jobs that there's a lot more opportunities for them,” he said.