What is so cool about manufacturing?

That’s what the North Central Pennsylvania Regional Planning and Development Commission is looking to find out in an upcoming contest.

Area middle schoolers will be able to compete in the second annual “What’s So Cool About Manufacturing” Video Contest which will be held on March 13 at the Ridgway Area High School Auditorium.

“The contest pushes students to explore cool manufacturing careers and produce profiles of companies throughout Pennsylvania,” said Pamela Streich, North Central’s director of strategic planning and project management. “The mission is to help build a strong pipeline of young talent in the local area.”

The contest originated from the “skill-up the Student Pipeline Grant” which was created to address the growing need for skilled workers in the mid to high level technical jobs in manufacturing.

Students and teachers form into teams for the contest. They receive camera equipment, software and professional guidance as they learn to script, record, and edit their video stories.

Streich said one of the biggest benefits for the community and the students is that they give the students access to manufacturing opportunities at the 7th and 8th grade levels. Similar contests are held for students, but later on in their junior and senior years of high school.

Streich explained that the contest has three stages: the first is the video contest overview which is used to recruit employers to participate and sponsor.

“Then we send each school a customized invitation letting them know of the upcoming contest,” she said.

Afterwards, judges in each regional contest give a variety of awards to winners. Each contest also features an online vote for a Viewers Choice Award.

The project is led by Workforce Solutions for North Central PA which is the Workforce Development Board serving the counties of Cameron, Clearfield, Elk, Jefferson, McKean and Potter.

“This year, we expect 12 teams of students to compete in the contest,” Streich said.

For Streich, the contest shows students that there are many angles to find opportunities in the workforce.

“Kids are being shied away from these kinds of jobs, jobs that are much needed in this area and the entire country,” she said. “We want to challenge that, and help these kids build a portfolio early on in life.”

For more information visit www.whatssocool.org/contests/north-central-pa