National Manufacturing Day may officially begin on Friday, but those with NIACC are hosting students for a tour of the future of manufacturing.

They’re the future generation of engineers in the state and today their getting a chance to see what the manufacturing field has to offer. “You have to like working with your hands and it’s pretty much making nothing into something. That’s what I like about it,” said Cody Marks. He’s two years in the Tool and Die program at NIACC and that means a lot of decisions real soon for Cody Marks.”You just get to make a whole lot of cool different things and it’s never the same thing. It’s always something different,” said Marks. Thankfully for Marks, there’s no shortage of opportunities right outside his door here at NIACC’s Manufacturing Day.

“I don’t think kids today understand that manufacturing has changed,” said Leisa Fox with QPS Employment Services. Poet, Eaton and Kraft, more than 17 local industry leaders are showing students and even parents a thing or two about how far technology has come in the classroom. “The opportunity to get these kids in here and get them fired up about a career in manufacturing is fantastic,” said Fox. Fox says it’s advancements like these they hope can trigger the imaginations of students hoping to make a career out of things they already enjoy doing.

“I think there’s plenty of opportunities for different kids out there starting out,” said Marks.

Even with so many opportunities waiting, students still have to take the first step. “They’re not going to be handed anything.  They’re going to have to work hard and prove themselves, but if they do that they will be rewarded tenfold,” said Fox.

The Original Saw Company in Britt also hosted a manufacturing day event to draw attention to the career opportunities.