Minuteman Students Visit 2 Acton Companies On Manufacturing Day

PHOTO CAPTION: Brandon Bain, a junior in the Engineering program at Minuteman High School in Lexington, interviewed Mechanical Engineer Rachael Ramos at Associated Environmental Systems (AES) in Acton on Manufacturing Day, which was Friday, October 5, 2018. He asked questions about her education, career goals, and about working for an organization that allows employees to bring their dogs to work. Photo by Allison Cammarata.

By Judy Bass

ACTON – A group of freshmen and juniors from Minuteman High School in Lexington made an enjoyable and informative visit to two state-of-the-art manufacturing companies in Acton - one of Minuteman’s district member towns - on Manufacturing Day 2018.

Manufacturing Day is a nationwide event that originated in 2012 to acquaint the public, especially students, with the sophisticated high-tech methods and exciting career opportunities available to them in the contemporary manufacturing industry. The theme of this year’s Manufacturing Day on October 5 was “Open Doors, Open Minds.”

The Minuteman students who went on this field trip are majoring in Advanced Manufacturing, Engineering Technology and Robotics. The trip, which included 35 students and faculty, was organized by Minuteman’s Director of Community Education, Allison Cammarata, and the Director of Land Use and Economic Development for the Town of Acton, Matthew Selby. They arranged this excursion for the students and teachers after attending the first Acton Manufacturer Workforce Summit at Acton Town Hall in August 2018.

According to information provided by Mr. Selby, its goal was to “[bring] together Acton’s largest manufacturing employers to discuss their employment opportunities and job training needs with local educational providers and community organizations. More than 40 people attended the summit….”

The Acton Area Manufacturing Collaborative (AAMC), whose primary goal is to stimulate workforce development on behalf of the local manufacturing industry, also grew out of that session, as did the idea for the Minuteman group’s visit to two prominent and highly successful Acton-based companies – Haartz Corporation, which makes textiles for the automotive industry and is the Town’s largest private employer, and Associated Environmental Systems (AES), a manufacturer of “environmental testing chambers for Google, Tesla and other brand-name technology companies,” as stated in the material furnished by Mr. Selby.

Those two manufacturers were selected for the Minuteman delegation to tour because they are both founding members of the AAMC, which Minuteman also belongs to, and because they “were absolutely thrilled with the opportunity to showcase their facilities to the students and faculty of Minuteman,” Mr. Selby explained.

Giving the students an up-close look at what takes place behind-the-scenes at companies like Haartz and AES is important for several reasons, according to Ms. Cammarata. “They can make real-world connections with what they are doing in both their academic classes and career majors,” which is an example of applied learning; “get exposure to different industries where skills they are learning can be transferrable into fields or careers that they may not have thought of; and to ensure students understand Minuteman is on the cutting edge of technology and that the school is well-connected with industries in our surrounding communities.”

The Minuteman students viewed operations at both manufacturers from the ground up. “Students were able to see the various steps it takes to manufacture material into a product,” said Ms. Cammarata. “Haartz allowed students to see materials prior to being utilized and sent through production. The company had about a dozen little cups of various materials (in pebble-like sizes) that they explained would be manufactured into different types of leather, fabric, or canvas. They observed the research and development that the company does, as they have various machines to test their products for durability, how well they stretch, and stain-resistance.”

Eric Haartz, the company’s CEO, welcomed the guests from Minuteman and answered their questions.

At AES, “the students loved the way production progress is coded through neon beams of light,” said Ms. Cammarata. “There are strands of light above each station (red, green, or blue) indicating whether there is a challenge or stoppage at a machine. The lights allow managers to see where there is, or may have been, a slowdown in the production chain.”

Students liked seeing that this company was innovative yet casual, with an immaculate, well-lit, airy atmosphere. They spoke with a variety of employees there during an informal lunch session - machinists, a mechanical engineer, CEO Beran Peter and Human Resources Lead Michelle Coffey.

Mr. Peter toured the AES facility with everyone from Minuteman and had lunch with the students.

The takeaway for the Minuteman visitors after Manufacturing Day was hopefully a much greater awareness and understanding of all the rewarding career paths open to employees at places such as Haartz and AES.

“You expose them to new things that they might not know exist,” said Haartz’s Vice President of Operations, Douglas E. Sieber, on a segment about the Minuteman students’ time at the two Acton manufacturing companies which aired on Acton Cable Access TV.

Mr. Selby, the Acton town official, and Ms. Cammarata of Minuteman both strongly affirmed the value of trips like these for the students, especially in terms of planning their future careers.

“It is important for students to be exposed to different career paths as early as possible to get them thinking about their own skill sets and interests so they are more likely to find work that is a good fit for them,” Mr. Selby said.

“Both locations focused on the types of positions they hire for,” Ms. Cammarata noted, “but also provided examples of other organizations that need the same type of skilled labor. Many manufacturing companies need machine operators, CAD specialists, welders, engineers (mechanical and electrical), component assembly employees, business and personnel staff, and more. Minuteman brought Robotics, Engineering, and Advanced Manufacturing career majors on this trip, but we hope to give Automotive and Welding majors an opportunity to go to these companies because their skills are needed there as well.”

“Not only were the employees and management at both locations personable and knowledgeable,” Ms. Cammarata continued, “but their hospitality and ability to speak candidly about their experiences to our students was very much appreciated. Students were buzzing about the two companies on the bus ride back.”

One of those who was clearly impressed and energized by what he saw was student Brandon Bain, a junior from Lexington who is studying Engineering Technology at Minuteman. Mr. Bain, who is looking forward to a career in civil engineering, said he learned about a variety of things during the Acton trip – the process of converting raw materials into usable products, quality control, the way that raw materials are imported from many different places and the need to obtain the most reasonably-priced materials available.

Did he also have fun on this educational jaunt? “Yes, definitely,” Mr. Bain declared enthusiastically. “It was an experience I would love to do again.”

Minuteman is eight months away from moving into a new $145M facility that has been designed to support a robust college and career academy model. The academy model was adopted by staff and administration to create smaller “schools within a school” thereby promoting more personalized learning founded upon close relationships between students and teachers.

The Minuteman college and career academy model integrates rigorous academics with relevant technical programming in occupational areas providing individual economic opportunity. The new facility will accommodate project-based learning across disciplines, requiring students to learn how to work on a diverse team, solve problems and think critically. These are essential 21st-century skills that students practice and apply in a variety of school-based and work-based environments.

As an accredited member of the New England Association of Schools & Colleges (NEASC), Minuteman inspires all students to attain their full potential, accelerate their learning, and become purposeful citizens in the global community.