ENID, Okla. – Autry Technology Center will celebrate 50 years of serving the Enid community at the annual Manufacturing STEM Day October 6, 2017. The public is invited from 11 am to 1 pm for a come and go luncheon to celebrate Autry’s 50 year anniversary.
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Manufacturing STEM Day is a nation-wide event connecting high school juniors and seniors from Autry’s 10 area partner schools, as well as students in full-time programs at Autry Tech, with local manufacturing companies to show how manufacturing has changed. Over 2 thousand students will visit with nearly 50 area companies at this year’s event.
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Manufacturing supports more than 17.4 million U.S. jobs. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that at least 8.65 million U.S. STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) jobs will be added by 2018. With 80 percent of the current manufacturing workforce being between the age of 45 and 65, there is a demand to recruit the next generation of workers.
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“A local skills gap exists because many students fail to prepare for the quality jobs that are available in the Garfield County area,” said Brady McCullough, Autry Technology Center Superintendent. “Autry Tech is working to close this skills gap by first exposing students to the opportunities to train for local jobs, and secondly, helping them realize the opportunities to grow careers and raise their families here at home.”
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A skills gap happens when workers do not have the skills that match those needed for open jobs. Autry provides training for individuals to be able to find work in these jobs which include manufacturing and STEM.
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Additionally, the 2 thousand students in attendance will hear presentations from nearly 50 of Autry’s business and industry partners. Over 500 students will win prizes for completing a virtual reality app. This app will allow the students to use technology to interact with the businesses, learn facts about them and share their experience to social media.
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“We hope this event will open the eyes of students to discover the possible career opportunities available to them in manufacturing and STEM,” said Mandy Mayberry, director of communications, marketing and recruiting at Autry. “The future of manufacturing is growing and changing rapidly. We want to help close the skills gap and equip the future generation to succeed in this thriving market.”
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A few of the local businesses that will be in attendance include KOCH Nitrogen, GEFCO, Aircraft Structures, Integris BASS Baptist, Parrish Manufacturing, St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center, Oxbow, Envirotech, 4RPups and Leonardo’s Children’s Museum. If you or your business is interested in participating or attending, you can contact Mandy Mayberry at 580-242-2750 or by email at mmayberry@autrytech.edu.
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Autry Technology Center has been a part of the Enid community since 1967 and is one of 29 CareerTech schools across Oklahoma. The center has more than 25 career programs and offers a wide variety of evening and weekend short-term courses and certifications for many diverse career fields. Autry serves nearly 16,000 individuals each year, including many area employees who receive training through the Business and Industry Services Department that works with over 500 local businesses each year.
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Autry to Celebrate 50 Years
