Students at Belleville High School got a glimpse into "manufacturing" jobs, which can earn workers between $75,000 and $85,000 per year.
Patch Staff
|Updated Mon, Feb 3, 2025 at 9:06 am ET
(Photo: Belleville School District)
(Photo: Belleville School District)
(Photo: Belleville School District)
(Photo: Belleville School District)
BELLEVILLE, NJ — The following news release comes courtesy of the Belleville Public School District. Find out how to post announcements or events to your local Patch site.
Brian kept his elbow locked at a 90-degree angle and his head perfectly still as he slowly moved his arm horizontally. This was the Belleville High School senior’s fourth or fifth attempt, as he began to master the proper technique to weld together two slabs of metal.
“That was the best one yet,” he said, removing his welding mask to reveal a smile underneath.
This was only a virtual simulation inside the school’s auditorium, but you could already see the sparks of inspiration and opportunity.
Sixty-five seniors used a computer simulation program to learn the basics of welding, got a crash course on how to program a metal engraver, operated a robotic arm, watched a 3-D printer at work and more. It was all part of a two-hour program designed to open their eyes to the possibility of a career in manufacturing.
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The Future Makers & Creators Tour, which stopped at Belleville High School on Jan. 23, gave students a chance to meet and connect directly with local manufacturers, learn about career opportunities and see the true face of manufacturing for themselves.
This program, created by the New Jersey Manufacturing Extension Program (NJMEP), is important to students who are unsure which path to take once they graduate from high school, said Joe Lepo, the school district’s director of curriculum instruction for grades 7-12 and the director of high school guidance.
Larry Banks, an operations & business development specialist for NJMEP, said there are many factors that could make a career in manufacturing the perfect choice for a high school graduate, and chief among them is the availability of jobs.
He said there are an estimated 25,000 manufacturing jobs open in New Jersey, which boasts about 9,000 factories. Inside the manufacturing umbrella are careers such as machinists, electrical engineers and high-tech tool operators in fields ranging from pharmaceuticals to food distribution to textile manufacturing.
In New Jersey, corporate giants such as Benjamin Moore, Mars Chocolate and Lockheed Martin employ thousands of manufacturing workers from across the state, Banks noted.
At Belleville High, there were more than a few eyes opened among those students seated in the auditorium when Banks reported that the average annual salary for manufacturing work in New Jersey is between $75,000 and $85,000.
Banks said the Future Makers & Creators Tour, which visits schools in all 21 counties, dispels long-held misconceptions that all manufacturing jobs are grueling, outdated or unpleasant.
“We're trying to correct the stigma out of there,” he said. “Now, mind you, there are definitely some jobs out there that are still dirty jobs, but that’s not the entire space of manufacturing. We want to show them that you have clean room environments, such as in food manufacturing.”
The auditorium was charged with enthusiasm, as the high school students rushed about to take full advantage of the demonstrations while Assembly members Carmen Morales and Michael Venezia (D-34), New Jersey State Monitor Thomas Egan and district Business Administrator Matthew Paladino looked on.
Only time will tell if some of these students will opt for a career in manufacturing.
In the meantime, the program was further proof that Belleville’s administration is dedicated to helping students succeed long after they graduate from the school district. In addition to the Future Makers & Creators Tour stop, school leaders are taking high school students for tours of colleges and meetings with members of labor unions to showcase opportunities.
“We’re doing a lot in the guidance office, ensuring that students know their options and providing them with the exposure they need to make fully-educated decisions,” Lepo said.
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