Students gain hands-on experience through Industrial Channel projects

Connecting young people to the manufacturing industry is the goal of a new regional venture.

The Industrial Channel, an informational and promotional website, is the result of a partnership between Marion-based media production company Challenge Productions and the North Central Ohio Region Industry Manufacturers Workforce Alliance aka Manufacturing Career Connections.

Frank Gibson, intermediary and co-founder of Manufacturing Career Connections (MCC), said The Industrial Channel was developed to serve as the public communications vehicle for MCC. He said MCC serves Marion, Crawford, Delaware, Hardin, Morrow, Richland, Seneca, Union, and Wyandot counties with the goal “to convene, educate, and mobilize key stakeholders in the region to promote development of a skilled workforce.”

“From data we gathered a few years ago, we found that there are more than 500 manufacturers within a 50-mile radius of Marion,” Gibson explained. “The most interesting thing about that is that the majority of those businesses are small, with about 150 employees or less. The business leaders grasp what we’re trying to accomplish, which is to advocate for and promote students to seek careers in manufacturing.

“So when I go into a county, the main people that we talk with are economic development, chambers of commerce, local government, education leaders, because they’re already connected to the business community. We just want to make sure that manufacturers have a seat at the table and are part of the discussions. There’s networks that are already formed in each county, we just want to connect them on a regional level.”

Terry Cline founded Challenge Productions/Aerial Imaging in 2006 and is involved in all aspects of the work, including writing, directing, and producing the content created for clients. He creates long and short form infomercials, website commercials, social media, television and radio commercials, documentaries, industrials, music scores, and music videos.

After connecting with Gibson and Manufacturing Career Connections five years ago, Cline said he became keenly aware of issues members of the local business community were facing in communicating their message to a larger audience. He said The Industrial Channel is designed to give businesses and educators a central location from which to communicate.

"We're trying to corral all the manufacturers, all the trade schools, in one location so you can get as much actionable information as you need," Cline said. "It's also being used to promote careers in manufacturing. We're trying to communicate to people that manufacturing has changed over the years. We have videos on the website that show Tesla, Amazon, and other clean manufacturers. We have a video that gives the history of manufacturing."

Cline has developed a partnership with Tri-Rivers Career Center in which students from the school's interactive media program can gain practical experience by assisting him in creating video content for The Industrial Channel. Four students from Tri-Rivers Career Center volunteered their time on Wednesday to film interviews with people at the Marion Campus Job Fair hosted by The Ohio State University at Marion and Marion Technical College.

The four junior class members − Cailea Williams, Kassidy DeSouza, Stefan Long, and James Bessler − conducted interviews with company representatives, students, and local residents who attended the job fair. They each said the work they're doing with The Industrial Channel is allowing them to put the skills they're learning at Tri-Rivers into practice and expand on those skills.

Williams, a student at River Valley High School, said she hopes to parlay the skills she's learning at Tri-Rivers into a career as an animator.

"In interactive media we do videography, photography, animation, and we're learning about the Adobe apps like Illustrator and Photoshop," Williams said. "I already have two of my certifications for Adobe Premiere and Adobe Photoshop. I hope to work for a big company like DreamWorks or Disney or something like that."

DeSouza, a student at Treca Digital Academy, said her career goal is "to be her own boss" and that the skills she's learning at Tri-Rivers will help her achieve that.

"This is a gateway where you can learn to be your own boss, learn to manage, and do your own freelance work," DeSouza said. "It prepares you for that in a multitude of ways, including getting certifications and learning skills that are invaluable that take people years to learn otherwise. I already have my Adobe Photoshop and Premiere certifications."

Long, a student at The Tomorrow Center in Morrow County, said the interactive media program has allowed him to expand his artistic skills.

"I've always been interested in all sorts of art," Long said. "I've got my certification in Adobe Premiere and I'm looking forward to volunteering and getting more experience and expand on any sort of art and learn what I can do."

Bessler, a homeschool student, said he joined the program because he wanted to learn about the different types of media and careers that are available.

"I was interested in learning more about video production and editing and how to shoot video," Bessler said. "I'm also very interested in graphic design work."

For information about The Industrial Channel, go to its website theindustrialchannel.com.

For information about Manufacturing Career Connections, go to its website www.manufacturingcareerconnections.com.

Email: ecarter@gannett.com | Twitter: @AndrewACCarter

This article originally appeared on Marion Star: Students gain hands-on experience through Industrial Channel projects