SCHAUMBURG – In an effort to expose their marketing students to career possibilities in the manufacturing industry, Judson University organized a tour of two nearby manufacturers in cooperation with the Technology & Manufacturing Association.
Before holding a vibrant discussion over lunch at TMA’s Schaumburg headquarters, the students and their Judson University professors visited National Tool and Manufacturing in Elgin and Otto Engineering in Carpentersville, Illinois.
Leigh McConnell, TMA’s Director of Training & Education, helped organize the tour and appreciated company owners’ efforts to encourage an interest in manufacturing careers.
“Tom Roeser, the owner of OTTO Engineering, led that tour himself,” Leigh McConnell said. “National Tool & Manufacturing supplied the student visitors with goggles and doughnuts to kick off the day.”
The Judson University marketing students – from places as far away as Germany, Michigan, and as close as nearby Elgin – saw many different aspects of each company and manufacturing in general, McConnell said.
The students were engaged and asked informed questions during the tours, such as:
- Where do you get your steel?
- What is your business’s mission statement?
- What are you looking for in a new hire?
- How do you verify a product can work for 1 million clicks (referring to a product’s functionality)?
After the company tours, TMA President Patrick Osborne and Director Leigh McConnell discussed their visits and US manufacturing in general over lunch at TMA’s Schaumburg headquarters.
TMA and Judson University are launching their second Manufacturing Leadership Program course for TMA members’ employees to gain in-demand insight and information as next-generation manufacturing leaders.
For more information, see TMA’s Training & Education course offerings at www.TMAIllinois.org
