Western Pennsylvania students learn about manufacturing through video contest

Bella Paulone and her eighth-grade classmate Alishba Raja didn’t have much of a frame of reference for what modern manufacturing looks like.

“Before this, we’d have thought it was just a bunch of factory workers picking things up, assembling them and putting them down,” said Raja, 13, of Murrysville.

Thanks to a grant from Pittsburgh nonprofit Catalyst Connections, a team of Franklin Regional students along with teams from 21 other regional schools got a firsthand look at the industry through the “What’s So Cool About Manufacturing?” video contest.

Each school is partnered with a manufacturing company. FR students met with administrators and staff at Intervala, a manufacturer of high-performance printed circuit board assemblies, electromechanical systems, and cable and harness assemblies.

The group CEO Teresa Huber and toured the company’s Mt. Pleasant facility where they shot footage that was assembled into a two-and-a-half minute presentation.

“She had a very strong stance on knowing why you’re making a product and what solution you’re offering to customers,” said Paulone, 14, of Delmont. “For us, we were clueless as to how the company functioned, and it was a real eye-opener to see it.”

That’s precisely what Huber and other manufacturers want to see, and they’re hoping it can translate to a larger pool of potential employees in the future.

“From our viewpoint, it’s very important,” Huber said. “We employ a pretty large number of people who just need machine operator skills. Partnering with the schools helps us introduce kids to skills they can use in a manufacturing environment.”

The students’ finished video will be submitted to Catalyst Connections, where the public can vote for their favorite, and a panel of industry judges will also choose winners. They will move on to a statewide competition.

“The coolest part was seeing everything finally come together in the video,” said seventh-grader Emmajean Grove, 13.

Huber said she hopes the contest makes an impression on students.

“Understanding things like machine operation and electronics technology — those things are very helpful because there’s a still a shortage for jobs like skilled technicians in the industry.”

Voting for the public opens April 1 at WhatsSoCool.org/contests/pittsburgh-east.

For more on the competition, see CatalystConnections.org, click on “Grants & Programs” and scroll down to the “What’s So Cool About Manufacturing” link.