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As a manufacturer, how do you showcase your facility to 2,100 middle school students who might someday consider working for you? The answer for AEM member Kondex Corporation was participation in a virtual tour through a program called Career Connections Academy.

Organized by Fond du Lac Works, a division of the Fond du Lac (Wisconsin) Area Association of Commerce, Career Connections Academy takes students on virtual tours through several Fond du Lac-area businesses and gives them a glimpse of the many jobs that are offered in the fields of manufacturing, healthcare, services and agriculture.

Seventh- and eighth-graders from six area school districts plus three other schools took part in the program on January 11 and 12 at the Fond du Lac campus of Moraine Park Technical College (MPTC).

“Knowing that it’s never too early to encourage students to think about what they might want to do after graduating from high school, this program specifically targeted seventh- and eighth-grade students, providing them with the opportunity to explore career pathways in a fun and interactive format,” said Bernadette Seefeld, director of educational programs at the Fond du Lac Area Association of Commerce.

More than 100 area business representatives and MPTC faculty members came together over the course of the two-day program to teach students about careers, local businesses and the level of education needed to do various jobs.

Diane Riley, Kondex marketing manager, was present to answer questions after the company’s video was shown to students. In addition, Casey Placek, Kondex lead metallurgist, was in a separate classroom to teach students about the basics of metallurgy. Leading the virtual tour at Kondex was Ahmoni Gonzalez, a middle-schooler selected for the part based on the creativity and personality displayed in his audition video.

“Students learned that there are many career options available along with varying levels of post-secondary education and/or training needed for the different roles,” Seefeld said. “By showcasing local businesses at the event, we were able to show students that there is a lot of opportunity right in their own backyard.”

Participation in Career Connections Academy is part of Kondex Corporation’s strategy of developing touch-points with students throughout the time when they are making career decisions, said Mike Frydryk, vice president of human resources and organizational development at Kondex. Altogether, Frydryk said, Kondex engages in 15 different initiatives to attract and retain student talent. These efforts have paid off, with more than a dozen well-qualified new associates coming on board in the past few months at Kondex as business begins to pick up in the agriculture and turf product industries.

Another way Kondex has been contributing to the community is by donating to the local schools. ‘We all know the saying, “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” This couldn’t be more true for a recent donation of scrap bar stock. Nearly 900 pounds of 1/4″x4″x10′ steel was gifted to Campbellsport High School for use in their Technical Education Department for students to practice welding. What was once leftover from an old project suddenly has a new, educational purpose to support our future manufacturers.

Kondex had spoken to area schools about their difficulty obtaining materials for welding. When this steel was determined unnecessary for production work, the Company knew exactly where it would make a meaningful impact.

“This was a difficult bar stock, it was surplus at Kondex, and the students have used it for many projects,” commented Kondex President Jim Wessing. “We hope that other employers in the area will do the same thing. This is great for our community and for the state.”

Kondex recycles more than two million pounds of steel scrap each year. Much of this scrap is metal shavings from machining or casings from stamped components manufactured at Kondex. This effort is part of our commitment to environmental sustainability and maintaining ISO 14001 accreditation.

Kondex also provided financial support to students from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln who attended the Agricultural Equipment Technology Conference.