Plymouth High School has received a $1,000 IN-MaC Manufacturing Micro-Grant to foster the growth of youth manufacturing initiatives around the state of Indiana.
The IN-MaC Micro-Grant program aims to provide grant funding to organizations who implement creative projects that enhance youth’s experiences and exposure to manufacturing in collaboration with Manufacturing Day initiatives. The Micro-Grant is designed to support innovation and development of program implementation that impacts manufacturing.
IN-MaC is Purdue University’s response, in partnership with Ivy Tech Community College and Vincennes University, to the economic challenge facing the United States over the next decade: How do we create growth and sustain the American Dream for generations to come? Many US-based companies face a shortage of trained workers capable of filling open positions. Technology is advancing rapidly and must be transferred to industry quickly in order for companies to remain competitive relative to their peers. Investment in knowledge creation today will ensure future competitiveness for US industry. IN-MaC addresses these needs with an integrated partnership among industry, academia, and government to help prepare our industry, workforce and talent pipeline to be more competitive and resilient.
“This grant program will allow education, industry, and community partners the necessary seed funding to build awareness around the important career opportunities in manufacturing,” according to Dr. Nathan Hartman of IN-MaC.
Plymouth High School Assistant Principal Ken Olson said, “The Micro-Grant will allow many of our Plymouth High School teachers and PHS sophomore students who are interested in vocational programs at PHS to visit local corporations and businesses that are engaged in manufacturing in Plymouth and the surrounding areas.”
Businesses such as ITAMCO, Homestead Dairy LLC, Valmont Industries, Inc., and Saint Joseph Health System have partnered with PHS to provide tours and information as part of this program. Olson said the grant money will also allow sophomore Advisory teachers at Plymouth High School the opportunity to highlight career opportunities for students interested in exploring Career Tech Education (CTE) programs at PHS or at the other nine nearby high schools that are partnering members of the North Central Area Vocational Cooperative.
The first round of Plymouth High School sophomore field trips will be held Tuesday, December 4, through Friday, December 7. For a look at the field trips scheduled this coming week, please see the information below.
