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"Heavy Metal" Appeals to Students

Terry Rutlin-Nicolet College

WXPR's Ken Krall took a look at the future with some Northwoods 8th graders  at Nicolet College in Rhinelander. He took the "Heavy Metal Tour."

Not a rock band, but a job fair of sorts: the "Heavy Metal Tour" is sponsored by Nicolet College,  North Central Technical College, 27 manufacturing employers, and boards and alliances.

Rene Daniels from North Central Wisconsin Workforce Development Board says the goal is to give 8th graders a look at careers they might not have considered.

"We're trying to catch students at a point in their lives -these are eighth graders - when they're starting to think about those careers and what they could possibly do. And we want to keep as many of our students here in the Northwoods as we can. And so we want to expose them to an industry and occupations that are in their own backyard. It really is eye-opening."

Olivia from Minocqua said she had thought about a job in sports but saw other possibilities...

"I'm excited to find out more about the industry, cause I hadn't really thought about a job there. So it'll be nice to see what's out there."

Nate from Mercer wants to fly, but realizes people need to build the planes.

"I wanted to be a pilot - so I was thinking there would be some stuff, maybe making things for airplanes or how things are made."

The students toured Rhinelander-area manufacturers and heard about training at the two technical colleges. Promoters say manufacturing jobs have changed a lot over the last decades, requiring computer and math skills. October is Manufacturing Month. 

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