Career Pathway Services 2023 Highlights
This year, Manufacturing Renaissance has provided training, work-readiness, work experience and placement services to 71 high school youth and young adults across Chicago’s West and South sides through our Manufacturing Connect (MC) and Young Manufacturers Association (YMA) training programs. We improved our program design and resumed in-person training, partnered with a mix of schools and […]
MR Joins City of Chicago to Promote Mfg to Chicago Public Schools Students & Counselors
The City of Chicago used Manufacturing Month as an opportunity to acknowledge the importance of the industry to the local economy and promote the opportunities available in the field to Chicagoans. In October, Manufacturing Renaissance was invited by World Business Chicago and the City of Chicago’s Dept. of Planning to join a fieldtrip of Chicago […]
Manufacturing Connect: Partnering with Chicago Public Schools
Photo of recent fieldtrip to Matot in Bellwood, IL As Manufacturing Renaissance keeps training young people for jobs in the manufacturing sector, the organization is working to build its capacity to deliver programming in Chicago’s public schools. That’s what has been happening early this year, as the organization takes steps to work directly with four […]
Profile: Sarah Mercado, MR’s New Director of Career Pathway Services
Sarah Mercado started her position as Director of Career Pathways Services at Manufacturing Renaissance in August of this year. However, her family background and career path prepared her for this work well before this year. She was born in the Dominican Republic; her life there and here has often been tied to social justice issues, […]
A Look at the Future: Students Visit the International Manufacturing Technology Show
For 74 students from John Marshall Metropolitan High School on Chicago’s West Side, the world of manufacturing opened up their eyes in new ways in September. Students attended the International Manufacturing Technology Show (IMTS), which was held by the Association for Manufacturing Technology in Chicago between September 12 and September 17. Staff from Manufacturing Renaissance […]
Manufacturing Connect: Participants Hopeful as They Finish the Program
As the school year ends this year, participants in the Renaissance’s 12-week Manufacturing Connect program had a milestone to celebrate – the successful completion of this nationally recognized career pathways program. Twenty-one students from 11 different high schools who completed the technical training course participated in an in-person event on May 18 at Daley College. […]
Help MR Celebrate Graduating High School Seniors for Decision Day
While Decision Day has typically been about students announcing their college or university plans. This year Manufacturing Connect (MC) has 21 students who have created their own path by completing a 12-week technical training course that has prepared them for an entry -level position in the field of manufacturing. 19 participants have also earned a […]
Manufacturing Connect Participants Share Their Second Impressions
MC Participants David Curry, Yazmin Barajas, Jeremiah Hall This is the second story about participants in our in current session of Manufacturing Connect, our nationally recognized career pathways program for teens. This session started in January of 2022. We circled back with a few student participants to get their perspective about how it’s going. These […]
Job Shadow Day: Welcome to the World of Manufacturing!
Isaiah McMullen, Lucy Minturn at FosterWorks. What’s it like to work in a manufacturing job in Chicago? How can young people prepare themselves for opportunities in this sector? Those questions came up on March 16 during Manufacturing Renaissance’s Job Shadow Day. During this event, participants in the organization’s Manufacturing Connect program had a chance to […]
MR is Named an Inaugural Stanley Black & Decker Makers Grant Recipient!
Chicago, IL – Stanley Black & Decker (NYSE: SWK) announced the recipients of its first “Empower Makers” Global Impact Challenge. Manufacturing Renaissance (MR) is honored to have been named as a Makers Grant Recipient for our Manufacturing Connect program and our efforts to expose, inspire and prepare high school youth for careers in manufacturing. Initiated […]