Dayton Progress announces manufacturing scholarship competition

To combat the shortage of skilled manufacturing workers, Dayton Progress Corporation, headquartered in Dayton, Ohio announced a “manufacturing challenge” competition aimed to promote awareness of careers in industrial manufacturing to Dayton area high schools. The Dayton Progress Manufacturing Challenge includes a prize package valued at over $40,000 which will be awarded to the school with the most effective and creative program for promoting throughout the school year of awareness of career opportunities in manufacturing. The winning school will receive state-of-the art manufacturing computer technology hardware and software and scholarships for their students.

“Manufacturing is alive and well in the Dayton region, with 2,400 manufacturers employing more than 100,000 people” said Alan Shaffer, President & CEO of Dayton Progress, one of the largest of the Dayton-area manufacturers. “While careers in manufacturing are some of the highest paying of all jobs that do not require a college degree, as well as having top opportunities for those having a college degree, unfortunately, they are also often not highlighted in either news media or by our secondary schools. That’s why we created this Challenge and Scholarship competition – to reward those schools and their students which do the best job of year-long manufacturing career awareness development. We’re confident that these awareness programs will result in more students who are not college-bound entering manufacturing as well as more college-bound students choosing a technology and engineering path.”

In addition to the Manufacturing Challenge prize, four well-paid after-school internships will be offered to qualified senior year students from among the top three school districts participating in the contest. Each of the internships is expected to lead to full-time employment upon graduation. The interns will be trained for a manufacturing career by Dayton Progress.

“Dayton Progress is pleased to be taking a leadership role in the effort to alleviate the severe shortage of skilled workers through awareness of manufacturing careers” continued Shaffer. “As one of the largest area manufacturers, we want to make high school students aware of the high-paying career opportunities in this region. It is also important to reward those schools and their students who do the best job of career awareness development.”

“Not every high school student will or can attend college, especially not immediately after graduation” said Shaffer. “Graduating from college with $25,000 in debt – which is the average - is certainly not for everyone either. One goal of this Challenge is to increase awareness of career opportunities that will enable these students to have a family, a home and a comfortable retirement – all with just a high school education.”

The Manufacturing Challenge Prize. The winning school district will receive a Dayton Progress Manufacturing Technology and Scholarship Grant, valued at $40,000 consisting of:
—Three new computers with monitors, capacity and accessories suited for Computer Aided Design (CAD).
—Licenses for the latest CAD software, based on state-of-the-art CAD technology used today in industry.
—The cost of training a faculty member in the use of the CAD systems.

Five - $1,000 scholarships for your students to Sinclair Community College’s STEP II Program, the premiere area program in skilled manufacturing. Dayton Progress and the school will jointly select the recipients against set criteria.

Additionally, Dayton Progress will offer four - well-paid after school internships at Dayton Progress for qualified Senior-year students from among the top three school districts participating in the contest. We expect to offer all interns jobs upon graduation.

For additional information on the Dayton Progress Manufacturing Challenge, contact Rosemary Domansky, VP, Human Resources at (937) 859-5111, or via e-mail to [email protected].