Auburn nonprofit lands grant for immersive manufacturing experience
Subscriber Benefit
As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe Now
The J. Kruse Education Center in Auburn has received a $712,000 grant from the Don Wood Foundation to create a hands-on experience for students to learn about careers in manufacturing.
The funds will help pay for one of 16 immersive career exploration experiences at the center’s Career Quest, which is currently under development.
Through hands-on activities and interactions with people in the field, students can learn about construction, finance, health sciences and other industries while touring what the center calls PODs (Personal Opportunities for Different Skills). The manufacturing POD is set to launch later this year.
“This manufacturing career POD experience will provide safe, hands-on exposure to a diverse array of careers in manufacturing,” Don Wood Foundation President and CEO Laura Macknick said in a news release. “This pathway also creates an opportunity for leadership enhancements through connections that can be established between students, programs and businesses in need of employees.”
Wood was a manufacturing entrepreneur who founded Columbia City aluminum components manufacturer 80/20 Inc. He died in 2019.
“We are grateful to the DWF for providing this opportunity for individuals in northeast Indiana. These experiences will be very impactful and beneficial to helping students discover and experience jobs that exist within the manufacturing pathway,” center Executive Director Matthew Toth said in the news release.
Indiana ranks first with the highest concentration of manufacturing employment in the country, according to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics. As recently as October, the state had 2.04 times the national average, Inside INdiana Business reported. Indiana manufacturers employed 2.73 million workers.
Founded in 2011, the nonprofit J. Kruse Education Center provides career exploration programs to people in northeast Indiana. To learn more about the center and Career Quest, visit https://jkruseeducation.org/.