By MARK MILLER
The Adams Wells Manufacturing Alliance held its first Manufacturing Day of the 2024-25 school year, as the eighth-grade class of Bluffton-Harrison Middle School toured four local facilities to get a sampling of careers available in Wells County.
“This matches up with the new ‘College and Careers’ class that all middle school student now take,” Joe Elkins, executive director of the group explained. “We’re just trying to expose them to the many career options we have right here at home so as they begin to think about what they might want to do after high school, they have at least some knowledge or exposure.”
The students toured American Axle and Manufacturing, WEG Commercial Motors, Edge Manufacturing and Almco Steel Products. Southern Wells eighth-graders will have the experience in November while the Norwell students are slated for a February event.
Elkins also works with the Adams County Economic Development executive director to give students at that county’s three middle schools a similar experience.
The event is a joint project of AWMA and the Wells County Chamber of Commerce. Each student received a commemorative T-shirt. The students concluded their morning at the chamber building where a lunch was provided by the Wells County Foundation.
miller@news-banner.com
