Opportunity Knocks

Seneca Valley is a place where education and opportunity collide. Seniors Rylan Wagner and Alex Drozynski recently completed site visits to four different manufacturing companies throughout Butler County and also served as student representatives on the Community Development Cooperation Student Advisory Board, a board comprised of students from different school districts across Butler County.

The intent of the board is for student representatives from Butler County school districts to visit Butler County businesses followed by advising the Community Development Cooperation Board and various consortiums and business associations on how to best communicate, share and educate other students about the opportunities that exist in Butler County.

This Butler County Manufacturing project was organized by the Butler School District and all Butler County schools were invited to take two students for each site visit. Throughout the school year, students attended workplace visits to CID Buildings and Controls, Coherent (II-VI) Corp., IDL Worldwide and Butler Technologies, Inc. During each site visit, the businesses provided overview presentations, in-depth tours of their facility and debriefing sessions with the students.

To wrap up their year, participants of the Butler County Community Development Corporation Student Advisory Board attended a culminating event at Butler Intermediate High School where they sat on a panel and discussed their experience with members of the Butler County Manufacturing Consortium. Students also shared their views of manufacturing careers, jobs and wages and ways that businesses could discuss career options with students in the future.

“I think the experience of being able to go to all the manufacturers was eye-opening,” said Mr. Wagner. “I saw first-hand the variety of companies that do such large products, and it all comes from right here in Butler County.”

Mr. Wagner and Mr. Drozynski, both also students of Butler County Area Vocational-Technical School, greatly benefited from this unique program and plan to work within the manufacturing industry after high school, with Mr. Wagner specializing in HVAC and Mr. Drozynski in construction and heavy equipment.