Posted on August 24, 2018
If your company wants to attract the best and brightest talent, start early! At Victaulic, we work to support and inspire the next generation of Lehigh Valley STEM students by showcasing careers in a manufacturing environment. Whether we’re motivating future engineers, hosting exploring posts or winning awards for our community involvement, Victaulic is dedicated to providing young people with the knowledge they need to pursue STEM careers. This summer, Victaulic found four new ways to inspire the next generation of Lehigh Valley STEM students.
1. Building on Knowledge within the Lehigh Valley
On July 11, Victaulic hosted twenty young women at our corporate headquarters as part of the Lehigh Valley’s Let’s Build Construction Camp for Girls. The free, week-long program is designed for high school students to explore construction, architecture, engineering and manufacturing and STEM careers through hands-on experiences, field trips and real builds.
“Victaulic was pleased to host the Let’s Build Construction Camp for Girls, educating them on the exciting opportunities available in the construction industry,” commented Eric B. Luftig, Vice President of Victaulic. “During their visit, they experienced the full spectrum of Victaulic’s construction productivity solutions, from the early stages of modeling the build to hands-on modular design and assembly. It is important for both our industry and our community that we inspire and foster real-world STEM experiences for future generations.”
2. Challenging the Lehigh Valley’s Next Generation
On June 21, Victaulic partnered with Penn State University to host a training session for the Teen Summer Entrepreneurship Challenge (TSEC), a two-week summer camp that provides high school STEM students from across the country with professional skills and experiences. Representatives from Victaulic’s Lehigh Valley campus led a presentation about lean concepts, concentrating on the basics of lean, the 5 point concept (teamwork, flow, pull, equipment and quality) and Facilities Excellence Mapping, among other topics. After the presentation, students were invited to participate in the Lean Lego® Simulation. This hands-on activity, based on the construction of Lego airplanes, provided an introduction to lean concepts and how they can be utilized to improve efficiency and reduce costs and working capital.
According to Dr. Denise Ogden, who runs the TESC, the activity was groundbreaking for many of the students. “I was amazed at the transformation from disorganization to a well-run factory where the students were focused and learning together,” said Dr. Ogden. “This activity convinced us all of the value of lean thinking.”
3. Seeing New Career Paths in the Lehigh Valley through Virtual Reality
On May 9, Victaulic teamed up with Community Bike Works to host a dozen Lehigh Valley STEM students from both middle and high school to explore virtual reality. Members of Victaulic’s Virtual Design and Construction (VDC) department showcased how the construction industry utilizes the same technology that students use in gaming.
The presentation was put on in conjunction with Community Bike Works’ Youth Leadership program, which helps students learn about different career paths and provides guidance on how to achieve their professional goals. During the event, team members guided students through a virtual project model of a hospital in Australia and presented them with a scan of a project in Indiana, created by a VDC associate using Victaulic’s new Faro® scanner.
Lehigh Valley STEM students enjoyed the event, and several expressed interest in taking drafting classes at local colleges to become involved with similar technology.
4. Engineering the Future of the Lehigh Valley
On July 25, Victaulic corporate headquarters in Easton hosted 25 Lehigh Valley STEM students from Lehigh University’s Summer Engineering Institute. The Summer Engineering Institute gives deserving kids a chance to experience the challenge and thrill of STEM careers in a cooperative, team-based environment. During the visit, participants were provided with an overview of Victaulic’s history and business focuses, a tour of our engineering lab and corporate offices and information about our robust Victaulic internship program in the Lehigh Valley as well as overseas. The Lehigh Valley STEM students also had the chance to learn directly from Victaulic senior leadership through a candid question and answer period.
“Victaulic’s future is dependent on our ability to continue to develop a steady stream of value-added, innovative products that solve our customers’ problems,” added Rick Bucher, Executive Vice President of Technology and Product Development. “It is vital that we continue to diversify and strengthen our teams with the best and brightest talent we can find. Working with an institution like Lehigh allows us to identify and establish relationships with potential candidates even earlier.”
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Victaulic is proud to inspire Lehigh Valley STEM students and promote STEM careers in a manufacturing environment. Be sure to check our blog to keep up with our latest work within the community.
