“We Build Giants: Because It Takes One to Build One”

BPS Students Learn About Building Submarines and Manufacturing Careers

Recently, hundreds of BPS students participated in the Career and Technical Education Department’s Manufacturers’ Day at Burgard High School. The event hosted students from seven different schools in grades 7-12 who engaged in interactive experiments in welding, virtual reality, and manufacturing automation. The goal of the program was to expose students to trade careers. The program featured Blue Forge Alliance and the U.S. Navy’s Submarine Industrial Base.

Several manufacturers and educational partners were on hand to highlight the career opportunities that exist in the field of building submarines.

“What the Navy has joined us today to do is to get the word out that there are great jobs in the industry of building submarines,” said Robert Harris, BPS Dir. of Career and Technical Education. “The whole thing we’re trying to do today is expose and make sure that people know what’s available to them in order to close the opportunity gaps that we may have in the Western New York area.”

Students got a chance to ask questions and participate in hands-on activities to provide them with career alternatives beyond graduation.

“This event aims to inspire the young kids to want to be something more, especially in the manufacturing domain. It’s what this country needs. You have to plant seeds somewhere. Planting seeds here, watching what they grow into and the opportunities that can come from it. You’ll pay dividends for generations to come”, said Jimmy Smith, CEO of Pacific Engineering.

The month of October is recognized as National Manufacturing Month. The Manufacturers’ Day event pays tribute to the remarkable contributions made by U.S. manufacturers and builds awareness by distributing trade-related information.

The event was sponsored by Blue Forge Alliance in partnership with the BPS Career and Technical Education and Seque Infratech, Inc.