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October is Manufacturing Month: Ninth grade students tour local businesses, envision future career opportunities

(10/27/2023) Ninth-grade students in introduction to engineering design courses at both Blaine and Coon Rapids high schools recently visited two local manufacturing businesses to see real-world applications of what they are learning in class.

Both sites are magnet schools with programs that have an engineering focus: 

  • Blaine High School - Center for Engineering, Mathematics and Science (BHS)
  • Coon Rapids High School - Center for Biomedical Sciences and Engineering (CRHS)

A total of 40 students from the two schools visited Design Ready Controls and Delta ModTech to experience how a product comes to life, starting from an idea on paper, all the way to a finished, manufactured product.“It’s nice to be able to understand and learn how the design process works,” said Zachary Lizakowski, a BHS student. 

The visits help students see what kind of careers are available in the industry and connect them to future course selection during their time in the programs. A perfect example of the benefit of the visits is that a recent CRHS graduate currently works at Design Ready Controls while going to college after attending the field trip as a freshman. 

These on-site experiences can also be helpful for students like Madalina Istratii, who is enrolled in both the biomedical sciences and engineering programs at CRHS. “I like hands-on learning,” Istrati said. “You’re not just sitting at a desk; you’re building, designing and drawing. You’re making things happen.” View photos from the visits.

October is Manufacturing Month: On top of the learning experience and the interaction between schools, the students are visiting the business partners during Manufacturing Month, which is a national initiative to address common misperceptions about manufacturing by giving companies an opportunity to open their doors and show what manufacturing is – and what manufacturing isn’t.

More about the businesses

  • Design Ready Controls, headquartered in Brooklyn Park, leads the control panel industry.  Examples of their work can be found in control panels that operate HVAC systems on top of schools and hospitals.
  • Delta ModTech, headquartered in Ramsey, is a full-fledged machine builder, dedicated to improving and innovating complex motion control automation processes. Today, the company designs, builds, and supports custom products across a variety of industries including the medical and automotive industries.