Top Milpitas Employers Open Doors to Local Students for Manufacturing Day 2018
2nd Annual Event Exposes Students to Career Opportunities
Posted on October 16, 2018
Fifty high school students from Milpitas and Calaveras Hills high schools learned about career opportunities with local high tech manufacturers at the second annual Milpitas Manufacturing Day on Friday, October 5.
The event, co-sponsored by the City of Milpitas, Milpitas Unified School District, and Milpitas Economic Development Commission, is part of a community effort to increase awareness of the opportunities for good-paying jobs for young people in local manufacturing careers.
Two local firms—View Inc. that builds “smart windows” with dynamic glass, and Nanosys, a leading developer of quantum dot technology for electronic displays—opened their doors to students and other representatives from the Milpitas community.
“Manufacturing Day is a way for Nanosys to give back to our community and offer local high school students a chance to open their minds to the many career paths in advanced manufacturing,” said Adrienne van Haeften, Manager of Chemical Manufacturing at Nanosys.
Participants toured the two firms’ high-tech manufacturing facilities where they could see advanced manufacturing in action, as well as the skills and training required for employees in the technology industry.
“MUSD students are curious and driven, they have vision and want to learn more about what is possible for their future careers, and that is why Manufacturing Day is such a dynamic experience for them,” said Cheryl Jordan, Superintendent of the Milpitas Unified School District. “I’m thrilled to have this collaboration with the City of Milpitas, together with our local businesses we are developing an extraordinary network for our youth.”
Milpitas is home to 150 local companies dedicated to innovative design, engineering, and breakthrough manufacturing technology. The city was ranked in the Top 20 for generating patents in California in 2016, according to the Silicon Valley Institute for Regional Studies.
“This event sheds light on the range of terrific careers in our community’s advanced manufacturing businesses,” said Milpitas Councilmember Bob Nuñez. “It helps our students and our partners become more aware that these opportunities exist and how they can become better prepared for careers in technology.”
More than one in five of the Milpitas workforce is employed in the manufacturing sector, which is twice the Bay Area average. As manufacturing continues to evolve by becoming cleaner, greener, and more advanced, it also continues to provide good, middle-class jobs that contribute to stronger local communities.
“We feel it’s very important to be involved in Manufacturing Day,” said Martin Neumann, Vice President of Customer Success of View Inc. “With its growing, diverse, and educated population, Milpitas is ripe with talent and enriched by a high quality of life.”
According to Milpitas City Manager Julie Edmonds-Mares, manufacturing is a critical component in strengthening the economy and creating family-sustaining jobs.
“Our community greatly benefits when we work collaboratively with businesses and our schools to increase awareness of everything that the manufacturing industry has to offer,” she said.
“By working together both during and following Manufacturing Day, our local manufacturers and schools can address the shortage of skilled labor, connect with future generations, enhance the public image of manufacturing opportunities, and ensure the ongoing prosperity of Milpitas.”
More information on Manufacturing Day is available at http://www.ci.milpitas.ca.gov/mfg.