Erie County Times

The Millcreek Senior High School students have been running McDowell Manufacturing since receiving grant money two years ago, and on May 26 Gov. Tom Wolf (D-PA) toured the facility that has manufactured more than 13,000 parts for Erie area manufacturing companies during this school year.

In 2020, the Millcreek School District received a Manufacturing Training to Career grant for about $200,000 to support the pilot program for high school students, which is run by students who partner with area manufacturers, according to a release from Wolf. Most recently, in February, Wolf award $99,730 more funds to expand the program through a number of ways to keep students participating, thus helping the manufacturing industry in preparing future employees for work.

“Kids are the future of manufacturing in Pennsylvania,” said Wolf. “The $16 million I’ve invested in manufacturing training programs during my time in office is a down payment on a successful future for those who take part in the programs, the industry and the commonwealth as a whole.”

Since Millcreek Manufacturing was created, 22 students completed the program in the first year and 60 students have enrolled for the 2021-2022 school year. Millcreek Township School District Superintendent Dr. Ian Roberts expressed his appreciation for the support from the Wolf Administration through assisting in the manufacturing industry.

“At the McDowell Manufacturing Lab, our students receive a quality education and preparation that places them in an exemplary category of manufacturing professionals when they graduate from our program,” Dr. Roberts said.

The manufacturing industry employs 10% of the state’s workforce and accounts for 11.42% of the economy, which is a reason Wolf has continuously supported the industry. In 2017, he launched the Training-to-Career program and the Manufacturing PA Initiative, which has invested more than $16.6 million into 76 projects. The economic output has skyrocketed since Wolf entered office, as it has increased from $85 million in 2016 to more than $92 billion in 2021.