With the state and national focus on reviving the manufacturing industry in America, students from 16 middle schools in Chester County and Delaware County endeavored to win a video competition – “What’s So Cool About Manufacturing?” – dedicated to changing outdated perceptions about advanced manufacturing careers.

The contest paired teams of students with local manufacturers.

The teams then created a two-minute video profile of what the manufacturers produce and how they make their products, all with the goal to generate awareness of what an advanced manufacturing career looks like to a tech-savvy generation.

Videos were reviewed by a panel of judges for awards. Also, a “Viewers’ Choice” category was open to the public and resulted in more than 47,000 votes.

Supported by the Office of Gov. Tom Wolf and presented by The Manufacturing Alliance of Chester & Delaware Counties, the following schools, with their manufacturing partner in parentheses, were announced as winners at a recent awards ceremony at Penn State Great Valley:

• Outstanding Overall Video Award – Springton Lake Middle School (Braskem USA)
• Viewers’ Choice Award – Owen J. Roberts Middle School (ONExia Inc.)
• Outstanding Team Spirit – Garnet Valley Middle School (Alan McIlvain Company)
• Outstanding Creativity – Downingtown Middle School (Lasko Products Inc.)
• Outstanding Manufacturing Message – J.R. Fugett Middle School (Neilsen-Kellerman Company)
• Outstanding Editing – Phoenixville Area Middle School (USSC Group Inc.)
• Outstanding Videography – Delaware County Christian School (New Way Air Bearings)
• Outstanding Outreach Plan – Northley Middle School (MOOG Inc.)

A 2018 skills gap study from the National Association of Manufacturers predicted that as many as 2.4 million manufacturing jobs in the U.S. will be unfilled by 2028.

So great is the concern over a shortage of manufacturing workers in Pennsylvania that Gov. Wolf’s current budget proposal calls for an additional $4 million to help train workers.

The Manufacturing Alliance of Chester & Delaware Counties is an initiative of the Chester County Economic Development Council and Delaware County Community College and is funded in part by the private sector with grant funding from the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry through the Chester County Workforce Development Board (WDB).

Click here to view all of the videos submitted in the “What’s So Cool About Manufacturing?” competition.