SHARON, Pa. – Online voting will open Tuesday and run through Thursday for the Viewer’s Choice category of a regional competition featuring student-produced career awareness videos in collaboration with local manufacturers.
Pennsylvania’s West Central regional What’s So Cool About Manufacturing? competition features seven Mercer County schools, each paired with a nearby manufacturer. Over the past few months, students visited plants to learn about career opportunities and present their findings in a group-produced video.
“This contest allows students to see firsthand the career opportunities available in manufacturing while developing creative and technical skills,” said Julie Michael Smith, Lawrence Mercer Manufacturers Coalition manager and contest co-manager. “It’s a great way to introduce young talent to the modern industry.”
What’s So Cool About Manufacturing? is a statewide initiative to raise awareness about manufacturing careers and highlight the innovative work being done by local companies.
Schools and their manufacturing partners include:
- Farrell High School with Zekelman Industries – Sharon Tube.
- Hickory High School with G.W. Becker Inc.
- Kennedy Catholic Middle and High School with Imperial Systems.
- Lakeview Middle School with Hall Manufacturing Technologies.
- Reynolds Junior-Senior High School with Jamestown Coating Technologies.
- Sharpsville Area Middle School with Wheatland Steel Processing.
- West Middlesex Area Junior-Senior High School with T. Bruce Sales Inc.
The Viewer’s Choice award will be determined by public vote, with winners recognized alongside other category winners in an awards ceremony April 9. View and vote on the videos HERE.
Contest partners include the Lawrence Mercer Manufacturers Coalition, Homegrown Mercer County, Penn-Northwest Development Corporation, Lawrence County School-To-Work, Northwest Industrial Resource Center, PBS Western Reserve and West Central Job Partnership.