Heroes come in all shapes and sizes, from athletes and fire fighters to the fictional kind you find in comic books, but now thousands of Orange County fourth-graders are going to learn about a new group of heroes called “Manufacturing Heroes.” The lesson will come in the form of an activity book that will be delivered to schools later this month, along with instructions on classroom discussion. February is National Career and Technical Education month.
Orange County Public Schools Department of Career and Technical Education (OCPS CTE) teamed up with the Manufacturing Association of Central Florida (MACF) to develop the book, “Manufacturing Heroes,” which is designed to educate elementary age students and their parents about the abundant career options in manufacturing.
“It’s critical for students to begin discussing potential careers – and more importantly, the academic and technical experiences necessary to prepare for those careers – at an early age,” said Janet Addair, Associate Superintendent for Career and Technical Education at OCPS. “The activity book is a great venue to get kids interested in exploring all the wonderful job opportunities available in today’s modern manufacturing environment.”
Manufacturing is a critical component of the greater Orlando economy. Central Florida has nearly 37,000 individuals employed in manufacturing with an average annual wage of $54,000.
A statement from OCPS said, a wide variety of local manufacturers and associations contributed to the development of the activity book, including Accord Industries, Celmark International, Lockheed Martin, Metal Essence, Mercury Marine, Mitsubishi Power Systems and Northrop Grumman Laser Systems.
