Gateway April 30 Expo Connects Parents with Employers

Students and parents attending the Advanced Manufacturing Expo at Gateway Community & Technical College April 30 can learn firsthand from local manufacturers about the bright job outlook for manufacturing careers.

Six local employers are scheduled to attend the education expo at Gateway's Boone Campus in Florence April 30. They include DHL, Mubea, Mazak, Ellison Group, the Center for Integrative Natural Science and Mathematics, and Virtual Manufacturing Services.

The expo is open to the public and begins at 5 p.m. Participants can tour Gateway's high-tech Integrated Manufacturing Center, Computerized Manufacturing and Machining Lab, and Welding Lab between 5 and 6 p.m., and meet with local employers between 6 and 7 p.m. Gateway will conduct an information session on college credit that can be earned in high school from 6 to 6:30 p.m. Apprenticeship information will be shared from 6:30 to 7 p.m.

The expo is designed to give parents and students a chance to learn more about the exciting and high-paying careers that are available in the high-performance production environment, said Carissa Schutzman, Gateway's dean of Workforce Solutions.

A recent study by the Northern Kentucky Industrial Park Association revealed there are currently more than 680 advanced manufacturing jobs vacant in our region. Local employers project that more than 2,500 such jobs will be available in the next three years due to workforce growth and replacements, Schutzman said.
Students need to know about these opportunities, and parents need to know that Gateway provides the technical education that can prepare their children to fill these jobs, she added.

Admissions and financial aid information also will be provided. We know that parents are concerned about the cost of college and its return on investment in the form of job opportunities, Schutzman said. By the time they leave this event, parents and students will understand that Gateway is an excellent value. Our tuition is affordable, and the technical education we provide qualifies students for immediate entry into high-wage, high-demand jobs with a future.

For more information about the event, contact Michelle Flick at (859) 815-7687 or michelle.flick@kctcs.edu.