Students, educators supplement classroom time with first-hand learning about technology, careers

Spanning three days, Modex 2018 Student Days welcomes students and faculty members from universities, community colleges, technical schools and high schools. Starting with a new Project Showcase and Networking event on Tuesday, from 4:30 to 6:00 p.m. and continuing through Thursday morning, the various groups will participate in a series of programs related to supply chain, materials handling, logistics, engineering and industrial distribution.

Student Days is sponsored by MHI’s College Industry Council on Material Handling Education (CICMHE) and Career & Technical Education (CTE) Program, in partnership with the Material Handling Education Foundation Inc. (MHEFI) and the Material Handling Equipment Distributors Association (MHEDA).

During ProMat 2015, Student Days was expanded with a second day of off-site facility tours. This gives students a chance to see real-world materials handling technology applications at different distribution facilities in the Atlanta-area. The umbrella event was christened “Student Days,” and now includes one Classroom Day at the show, and a second day of facility tours.

The new Project Showcase and Networking event is co-sponsored by the Georgia Logistics Summit and showcases schools, their industry-based academic programs and emerging workforce. Student exhibitors will present their projects, giving potential future employers a chance to see the accomplishments of the next generation of skilled workers.

Wednesday at 9:30 a.m., students will convene for the 15th-consecutive installment of Classroom Day, said Delana Hopkins, MHI’s education coordinator. “The opportunity to spend time at the show offers students a better understanding of the latest industry developments,” she said. “They get a chance to see the variety of solutions that support the flow of materials throughout the supply chain, all in one place.”

Classroom Day is so important to MHI’s Board of Governors, added Hopkins, they set aside travel grants to be awarded among attending schools on a first-come/first-served basis. “Because of these grants, more than 200 students and faculty are expected to participate,” she noted.

The students’ morning kicks off with breakfast and a brief overview of how materials handling and logistics solutions make goods flow, how solutions are developed, as well as current and future trends.

From 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., students and their instructors will split into groups to take a guided tour of the show floor. Industry experts at selected show booths will be on hand to discuss the materials handling industry, solutions, technologies and careers. These industry experts will have special signage, “Proud Supporter of Student Days,” displayed at their locations.

Students will then gather as a full group at 12:30 p.m. for lunch and a private simulcast of keynote speaker Mike Rowe’s presentation, occurring from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. Rowe, TV host and champion of skilled labor, will also visit with the students in person at 2:00 p.m.

From 2:30 to 4:30 p.m., students and their instructors will be given additional time to explore the show floor added Hopkins. “With the expansion of Modex across Halls B and C, we wanted to ensure that Classroom Day participants had ample time to explore the displays,” she said.

On Thursday, the Facility Tour Day portion of Student Days kicks off at 8:00 a.m., when select students and their instructors check in and begin boarding buses departing from the Georgia World Congress Center to see real-world materials handling technology applications during a behind-the-scenes tour of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.

“We’re pleased to again be able to offer students and educators the chance to see our industry’s solutions in action,” Hopkins concluded. “It puts the technologies they’ve seen on the show floor into a real-world context.”

Modex 2018 is scheduled to be held April 9-12 at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta. The tradeshow will showcase the latest manufacturing, distribution and supply chain solutions in the materials handling and logistics industry. Modern’s complete coverage of the show.