Thank You to Our Manufacturers
High School Manufacturing Day — October 20
Manufacturing Day 2026: Thank You for Opening Your Doors!
On Tuesday, October 20, more than 350 students from 15 area schools stepped onto real shop floors for our 5th annual Manufacturing Day. They watched robots and machinists at work, asked great questions, and heard from employees about how they got started. For many, it was their first look at the careers waiting for them right here at home.
None of this happens without our hosts. Thank you to:
- AmbaFlex Manufacturing, Inc.
- Central Coated Products Inc. and Sun America LLC
- Diebold Nixdorf
- Hendrickson, Navarre
- Knight Material Technologies
- MAC Trailer, Inc.
- The M. K. Morse Company
- Ohio Gratings Inc.
- RW Screw
- Shearer’s
- Solmet Technologies Inc.
- Stark Industrial LLC
- Stark State College
- The Timken Company
- Winkle Industries
Missed it this year? Let us know you’d like to host in 2027 and we’ll save you a spot. Contact info@starkmanufacturing.org.
Manufacturing Day 2026: What Students Told Us
About 350 students from more than 12 Stark County schools toured local manufacturers this October. Working with the Stark Education Partnership and participating schools, we asked students to take a short survey before the tours and again afterward. We wanted to know whether a day on the plant floor would change how they think about manufacturing.
When we asked them afterward if they would consider a career in manufacturing, 82% said yes or maybe. What changed the most was how students talk about the industry. Before the tours, they described manufacturing as “making stuff,” “factory” and “hard work.” Afterward, we heard “multiple careers, positive job outlooks, and good paying jobs,” “cobots, product management, inspection,” and “teamwork, reliability, and good pay.”
One senior summed it up: the best part was “getting to see up close the machinery and see how you don’t need a million degrees to be able to operate one.”
Students said the highlights were watching robots and welding up close and hearing from the people who do the work. For next year, they asked for more hands-on time and more talk about pay and what a typical day looks like.
Thank you to our 2026 hosts: AmbaFlex Manufacturing, Diebold Nixdorf, Hendrickson, Knight Material Technologies, MAC Trailer, The M.K. Morse Company, Ohio Gratings, RW Screw, Shearer’s, Solmet Technologies, Stark Industrial, Stark State College, Sun America, The Timken Company and Winkle Industries.
Thank you also to our participating schools: Alliance City, Canton City, Choices High School, Fairless, Jackson, Lake, Louisville, Marlington, North Canton City, Perry, Plain, Project REBUILD and Sandy Valley.
Worth Your Time: Finding and Keeping Good People
Hiring is only half the battle. Keeping new employees past their first few months is where many manufacturers lose ground. This free guide from the National Institute of Standards and Technology walks through practical steps on recruiting, training, and building a culture people want to stay in. It’s straightforward, vendor-free, and easy to share with your supervisors and front-line managers, since they drive most early turnover.
Career Foundry: We Need You at the Table
The jobs are here, the pay is good, and the careers are stable. Finding people ready to step into those roles is the hard part.
Through the ISP Accelerant Grant, the Stark Area Manufacturing Partnership launched Career Foundry: Modern Manufacturing Career Pathways Program. Working with the Stark/Tusc Workforce Development Board, the Canton Regional Chamber, and our Career Navigators, we help job seekers clear barriers, build career readiness, complete training, and land jobs with our members. We follow up at 90 days and one year, because retention is what matters most.
A big part of the program is the facility tour. In about 90 minutes, participants see the floor, hear from HR, and talk with employees about how they got started. Thank you to OGI, MK Morse, and Myers Controlled Power for hosting our first tours.
Here’s how you can help:
- Tell us when you’re hiring. Send us your entry-level openings so we can prepare candidates for them.
- Host a monthly tour. We handle the coordination. It takes about 90 minutes of your team’s time.
Employers who get involved now get first access to candidates as they finish the program.
Contact Stephanie at stephanie@stephaniewerren.com
Host a Partnership Meeting in 2027
Our monthly meetings rotate among member companies, and we’re looking for 2027 hosts. It’s an easy way to show off your team and connect with manufacturers, educators, and workforce partners.
What we ask: Meeting space for 25 to 35 people (third Thursday, 11:00 to 1:00), lunch if you’re able (or we can charge a small fee to cover it), and a short tour if it works for your facility.
Open dates:
- January 21
- February 18: Metallus
- March 18
- May 20
- June 17
- August 19
- September 16
- October 21
Contact info@starkmanufacturing.org to claim yours.
TechCred: Get Ready for the Next Round
New guidelines just released
TechCred came back this fall with a new set of rules. If you last used the program a year or two ago, a few things look different:
- Lower reimbursement per credential. Employers can now get up to $1,000 per employee, per credential (it used to be $2,000). The cap is still $30,000 per application period.
- A new approved list. Credentials and training providers now come from a state-approved list focused on technology skills like automation, industrial controls, and advanced manufacturing.
- Training can start sooner. Employees can begin training on the first day of the application period instead of waiting for an award.
- One application per company. The state accepts one application per FEIN each round, so if you have multiple sites or departments, decide your priorities together before you apply.
Use the next few weeks to get ahead:
- Get your Ohio Payee Number now. It takes about 10 days, and you can’t apply without it.
- Talk with your supervisors about which skills would make the biggest difference on the floor in 2027.
- Check the approved credential list and pick your top options.
The next application window is in January with final dates to be announced. Watch for it at techcred.ohio.gov.
Did your company apply this round? Email us at info@starkmanufacturing.org and let us know what credentials you chose. We’ll share what’s working for other manufacturers in an upcoming issue.
More on the program changes: Ohio’s TechCred Program Returns with Expanded Opportunities for Manufacturers (HBK CPAs & Consultants)
Good Jobs Challenge Wraps Up With Results to Brag About
The Ohio Manufacturers’ Association has closed out its four-year, $23.4 million Good Jobs Challenge grant, and the numbers beat every goal, eight months ahead of schedule.
Statewide results:
- 4,378 Ohioans landed a manufacturing job or earned a raise through upskilling
- 2,843 credentials earned
- $22.63 an hour average starting wage for new hires, well above the original $17.60 target
Right here at home, our WorkAdvance program was part of that effort, serving 433 participants and placing 307 people into manufacturing jobs with member companies. Every one of those hires happened because local employers opened their doors, interviewed candidates, and gave them a shot. Thank you.
What’s next? The grant ended, but the work didn’t. Our new Career Foundry program builds on what WorkAdvance proved works: connecting job seekers with real manufacturing careers through tours, training, and direct employer connections.
Hiring in 2027? Email us at info@starkmanufacturing.org and tell us which roles you need to fill. We’ll connect you with Career Foundry candidates and tour opportunities.
Thank You, Stark County Manufacturers
This Thanksgiving, we want to say thank you to the manufacturers who make this Partnership work.
This year, you opened your doors to hundreds of students on Manufacturing Day and to teachers on Educator Day. You walked job seekers through your facilities for Career Foundry tours. You hosted our monthly meetings, served as sponsors, and hired more than 300 people through our WorkAdvance program. And you did all of it while running your own businesses.
Behind every tour and every hire are your people: the operators, machinists, maintenance techs, supervisors, and HR teams who took time to answer questions and show what a manufacturing career really looks like. Please pass our thanks along to them.
Because of you, more young people in Stark County see a future in manufacturing. We’re grateful, and we wish you and your teams a safe and happy Thanksgiving.
The SCMWDP newsletter is distributed to member Stark County manufacturers, associate members, education partners, select state officials, local officials and other stakeholders like community-based organizations. Feel free to forward our newsletter to others that may benefit from our information.
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