[ business ]
Inspiring West Virginia ’ s Future Workforce
TRACY STRAUB
TORIL LAVENDAR
Held on the first Friday in October , Manufacturing Day was established to show the reality of modern manufacturing careers in the U . S . by encouraging thousands of companies and educational institutions across the nation to open their doors to students , parents , teachers and community leaders . As manufacturers seek to fill 4 million high-skill , high-tech and high-paying jobs over the next decade , Manufacturing Day also empowers manufacturers to come together to address their collective challenges so they can help their communities and future generations thrive .
To inspire West Virginia students to learn more about careers in manufacturing , West Virginia University Industrial Extension ( WVUIE ) partnered with Blenko Glass Company , located in Milton , WV , to create a hands-on , practical activity to engage students to design and be part of the manufacturing process .
Participants were encouraged to enter the Student Design Challenge , which called for students to sketch a drawing that would be evaluated by expert judges , with the winning design coming to life through Blenko ’ s highly talented artisans .
“ We wanted to create an opportunity for students to see all of the processes needed to bring a product to market ,” says Staci Miller , director of operations for WVUIE . “ Our goal was to inspire students to create — from drafting the design , creating the mold and stamping the suncatcher to marketing and selling the final product .”
Jamie Cope , WVUIE business manager , showed how the hand-crafted pieces are created by leading a virtual tour of Blenko Glass Company .
“ I remember coming for a tour of Blenko when I was a kid and being in total awe of the process ,” says Cope . “ Being able to lead the tour and this challenge is one of the things that makes my job so special .”
Almost 100 designs were submitted from around the state in 2021 , and seventh-grade student Charlie Gaull was selected as the winner of the competition with his blue crayfish design . Not only was Gaull ’ s design a remarkable representation of a crayfish , his reason for selecting the crayfish was equally impressive . This species , Cambarus loughmani , is indigenous to West Virginia . According to David Foltz , the species is restricted to a 1,261 square mile area of the Appalachian Plateau in Cabell , Kanawha , Lincoln , Mason and Putnam counties .
“ One of my favorite parts of homeschooling is being able to observe nature and sketch it out in a nature journal ,” says Gaull . “ Crayfish are one of my favorite animals , and I ’ ve never seen a blue one . I ’ d really like to . My mom assigned this as the art project for the week , and seeing my design come to life was amazing .”
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