PRYOR— OSU Institute of Technology Advanced Training Center at MidAmerica Industrial Park is hosting an open house and offering tours of its facility as part of MidAmerica’s weeklong activities leading up to Manufacturing Day on Oct. 3.
The OSUIT-MAIP open house is Oct. 2 from 3 to 7 p.m., at the training center, 4059 Redden St., in Pryor.
The open house is for anyone interested in learning more about OSUIT-MAIP and the technical training programs it offers, said Scott Fry, director of the training center.
“Folks will learn about our educational offerings as well as technical career pathways. They’ll hear from graduates working in the industry and meet with our instructors who have worked in the field,” Fry said.
The open house coincides with Manufacturing Day, an annual national initiative to introduce the American public to modern manufacturing in the 21st century and to dispel some of the misconceptions about the manufacturing industry.
Manufacturing is a very diverse industry with companies employing everyone from welders and machinists to engineers, designers and computer programmers. In fact, U.S. manufacturing is the eighth largest economy in the world.
OSUIT-MAIP serves primarily manufacturing companies located at the industrial park through its training and educational programs, Fry said, and this open house will hopefully highlight some of the high-tech, high-wage careers available in northeast Oklahoma.
“Manufacturing is huge for the success of America’s economy and of course, the local economy,” he said. “There are more than 3,600 jobs in the park, and it’s important that we support them however we can so those employees can be successful.”
And while 70 percent of Americans view manufacturing as the most important industry for a strong economy, only 17 percent of people view manufacturing as a top career choice, according to the Manufacturing Day website.
This has led to a skills gap where 67 percent of manufacturing companies are reporting a moderate to severe shortage of available and qualified workers, and many believe this gap will only get wider in the future.
“Our employers in MidAmerica struggle with recruiting workers, especially those with technical skills,” Fry said. “Manufacturing has changed drastically over the last couple decades due to advancing technology and we want to create more awareness of the industry as a whole.”
Gone are the days where a job in manufacturing meant working in dirty, dangerous conditions at a dead-end, backbreaking job, he said. Manufacturing today means going to work in a high-tech, animatronic environment that demands a technically skilled workforce.
And OSUIT-MAIP is there to help students get that technical training and support so they can fill those in-demand jobs or advance in their established career, Fry said.
“It’s changing lives. We have example after example of individuals who have attained our credentials and have gone on to very successful careers where they double, or even triple, their current income,” he said. “It is why we do what we do. To see an individual reach their goal and land that first job is priceless.”
For more on the OSUIT-MAIP Open House, contact Cassity Bixby at cassity.bixby@okstate.edu or call 918.825.4678.
For more on Manufacturing Day, go to mfgday.com.