Raymond Engages 2,500 Students

The Raymond Corporation observed National Manufacturing Day with more than 2,500 student registrants from around the country during an interactive digital event on Oct. 1, 2021. National Manufacturing Day is an annual celebration of the manufacturing industry organized by the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM).

This year was the second year Raymond’s Manufacturing Day was an entirely digital event, enabling students to discover what advanced manufacturing operations look like via a virtual experience.

Students learned about building skills for the future through a virtual manufacturing facility tour, highlights of industry technology, associate testimonials and technician spotlights. The future workforce also heard from Raymond executives — including the Senior Director of Operations and Quality, Tony Topencik, and Steve VanNostrand, the Executive Vice President of Human Resources.

“The manufacturing industry is advancing and growing through innovative processes and technology, and that is pushing and challenging our industry to reach new potential,” VanNostrand said. “We want to ignite curiosity among students about career possibilities that they might not have previously considered.”

In an exciting addition to the program this year, young professionals who work at Raymond in a variety of programs and roles shared their experiences at the organization. Speakers included members of the Broome-Tioga Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) Youth Apprenticeship program, a student enrolled in Raymond’s co-op program, and a young professional who is a full-time Raymond employee.

This year was the second year Raymond’s Manufacturing Day was an entirely digital event.

“After attending Manufacturing Day at Raymond in high school, I definitely looked toward Raymond for employment,” said James Gardner Jr., an industrial engineering student at Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, New York, and who is enrolled in Raymond’s co-op program. “It really opened my eyes to what Raymond does and how much of a family it really is.”

Raymond’s virtual event was designed to fit into a teacher’s daily lesson plan. Raymond provided teachers with educational materials to support their curriculums and help students engage in new and interactive experiences. As part of the course, students were enabled to navigate the digital event at their own pace.

“My students we’re very impressed by how innovative The Raymond Corporation is and how much this first-class organization positively impacts the lives of businesses and customers worldwide,” said Fred Tillinghast, business teacher at Bishop Kearney High School in Irondequoit, New York. “The technology, innovation and operational solutions that Raymond provides is a wonderful example of what business looks like in the 21st century.”

“It was nice for my students specifically to not only learn about a company based locally that employs so many people and has a large impact on the region but also to see how the area they are currently studying can be applied to the business world,” said Kerry Mack, visual communications instructor, Delaware-Chenango-Madison-Otsego Board of Cooperative Educational Services (DCMO BOCES) Harrold Campus, Sidney Center, New York.

Manufacturers seek to fill 4.6 million high-skill, high-tech jobs over the next decade, and participating in Manufacturing Day events allows companies to engage students at an age when they are still finding their interests and deciding what types of careers they want to explore.