After high school students graduate, they start their careers and get high-paying jobs.
In honor of National Manufacturing Day on Friday, the Streator Chamber of Commerce hosted a Manufacturing Day event on Thursday to raise awareness about local career opportunities available in manufacturing.
Katie Muntz, Vactor HR Manager and Event Coordinator, said she believes last year’s inaugural event was a success and believes it is important to repeat it.
“I think most of the people involved thought last year went well,” Mantz said. “We have some students who started working right out of high school because they went on tour last year, and I think other employers do the same. After they get here, they don’t know who we are. If we know what we have to offer and they know coming into the deal, we can help highlight the opportunity.”
Students from Streeter High School, Livingston Regional Career Center, and La Salle Peru Regional Career Center toured four local manufacturing companies: Vactor, US Truck Body, Alloy Specialtys, Inc., and Illinois Valley Machine.
Students visited the Streator Incubator for lunch, attended a career fair, and learned about various career options related to the companies they toured.
This is the second year the chamber has organized this event.
Manz noted that while last year was considered a success, there were some things organizers would like to tweak.
“We have shortened our time here in the incubator and extended our employer tours to ensure each group visits every employer,” she said. “I think the tour was a great way to highlight what’s going on in each business.”
Streator High School senior Jordyn Arbogast is considering a career in the trades and already has some idea of what she wants to do, so she found this event helpful.
“I don’t really know what I want to do after high school, but I’m looking at trading,” Arbogast said. “This event was very helpful. For now, I might be leaning toward Wachter as a painter.”
Livingston Area Career Center senior John VanWinkel also appreciates the event, believing it highlights opportunity in a more personal way.
“Overall, it was definitely helpful. It gave me more information than my own research,” he said. “You’ll get better answers if you ask directly.”
VanWinkel was considering both welding or engineering, and explained how he noticed a shift toward trade jobs among his colleagues due to increased industry demand.
“Many of us are more interested in trade routes because more jobs are opening up,” he said. “The pay is good, and there are a lot of people leaving, so we definitely need new workers.”
“People are worried about student loans,” he says. “Participating in the trade appears to provide a clearer path to employment and lessen the financial burden.”
