Opening Young Eyes to how it’s Made

High school students “kick the tires” on machine tools and composites at a tech camp hosted by Fives Cincinnati at its headquarters in Hebron, Kentucky.  

Aiming to influence career choices early, Fives Cincinnati recently hosted 19 students from 17 area high schools attending Northern Kentucky University's Engineering Technology Camp. The students received a guided facility tour where they enjoyed explanations of Fives manufacturing processes.

The campers also received detailed descriptions of aerospace composites technology, layup systems and metalcutting systems being built by Fives for customers. Hands-on exposure to semi-finished aerospace components reinforced the experience.

According to Morteza Sadat-Hossieny, Ph.D., engineering technology coordinator at NKU, "The goal of this camp is to familiarize participants with basic engineering/technology concepts to spark high school students' interest in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) career fields."

"High school students are often wide-eyed when they see the scale and complexity of the manufacturing systems used to build today's aircraft, and we hope this will positively influence their career choices," says Ed Bisig, director of human resources for Fives. "Visits like this serve a vital educational role in our community. We hope we'll encounter some of these young people again in the future through our hiring process."

Fives considers workforce development and apprenticeship programs for the technology sector a vital function for manufacturers. Since 2005, the company has invested more than $2 million in apprenticeship training alone.

The company also recently participated in the White House Upskill Summit, a national initiative launched by President Obama aimed at equipping workers with skills they need to get, and advance in, higher-paying jobs.