College joins in corporate partner's resurgent Manufacturing Day

After a three-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Sekisui Kydex opened its Bloomsburg operation to more than 100 secondary and vocational school students and their faculty chaperones this fall for Manufacturing Day – an immersive exploration of the vast career opportunities available in polymer engineering.

A five-member team from Pennsylvania College of Technology attended, presenting information on campus/program tours, pre-apprenticeships, admissions processes, program options, enrollment and financial aid, and career development. Students then visited the display tables, perusing information and having one-on-one conversations with the Penn College representatives.

Traveling to Sekisui from main campus were Ross A. Berger, MIDAS grant manager; Chuck D. Crews Jr., assistant director for secondary partnerships; Audriana L. Empet, director of admissions; Chris S. Macdonald, Plastics Innovation & Resource Center training specialist; and Mark A. Sneidman, instructor of plastics technology.

“I am grateful to our Corporate Tomorrow Maker partner, Sekisui Kydex, for not only hosting Manufacturing Day but for allowing Penn College to be a part of the program," Empet said. "We are able to go alongside the students throughout the day, and I loved watching as they learned about new career opportunities. You could see ideas sparking and excitement building. Joining forces with industry to show students the pathways to their future is exactly the type of collaboration that will help us prepare the next generation of leaders. I look forward to seeing many of the attendees on campus down the road!”

Sean Stabler, vice president of innovation and an award-winning 2006 alumnus, welcomed participants and gave a presentation before students – from Bloomsburg and Central Columbia high school, as well as Columbia-Montour Area Vocational-Technical School – were divided into six tour groups. 

“Sekisui KYDEX is committed to our community to educate students about exciting career opportunities during Manufacturing Day," he later said. "This year, we felt it was important to include our partner, Pennsylvania College of Technology, in this event to connect opportunities for certificate, apprenticeship and degreed program opportunities and further educate students of the possibilities PCT can offer after high school.”  

“This collaboration for Manufacturing Day was greatly appreciated and a perfect means to showcase the pathway through a degree at Penn College to a family-sustainable career at Sekisui Kydex," Macdonald said. "The student interactions and introductions to the faculty were invaluable. We are proud to work with Sekisui Kydex as a valued Corporate Tomorrow Maker partner of Penn College.”

In addition to interactive demonstrations in the App Lab and Design Lab, the students learned about Sekisui's proactive measures to recycle materials for new uses in their products and also its cooperative work with other area companies to use their plant for recycling. 

All attendees enjoyed lunch in the cafeteria and received thermal-insulated water bottles designed from recycled materials.