A dozen students from the metalworking program at Seaway Tech in Norwood who are participating in the Certified Production Technician Program are, from left, Zachary Markel (Canton Central), Connor Pernice (Norwood-Norfolk), Dustin Baxter (Canton), Shayne Murphy, Austin LaShomb (Massena), and Lee Dunkelberg (Canton).

 Students in the St. Lawrence-Lewis Career and Technical Education Centers’ Certified Production Technician Training program participated in National Manufacturing Day with talks by local manufacturers and a tour of Curran Renewable Energy in Massena.

The CPT program is a partnership of CITEC Business Solutions, St. Lawrence-Lewis BOCES, local high school students, and area manufacturers. CITEC recently received a $50,000 Alcoa Foundation grant to develop a program to help high school students obtain the skills to qualify for positions in North Country manufacturing firms.

The grant has allowed CITEC and BOCES to develop a model training program that will help students obtain the critical thinking and communications skills along with the technical skills that will better qualify them for higher wage jobs available in manufacturing, while helping to ensure a qualified workforce for North Country manufacturers.

Nanci Collins, metalworking teacher at Seaway Career and Technical Education Center, and George Mauch, CITEC employee with over 35 years in manufacturing in the North Country, have had extra training on the four key areas of the CPT credential: safety, quality, manufacturing process, and production and maintenance awareness.

“This is great! I had no idea that there are all these companies here and the types of jobs that are possible,” said Massena senior Austin Lashomb. “I am hoping to go into the Air Force but I really want to see if I can focus in a skilled trade that I can use to get a good job in manufacturing after the service.”

More information on Manufacturing Day can be found at http://www.industryweek.com/manufacturing-day-2013.