MRC begins 10th year of ‘What’s So Cool About Manufacturing?’

The Lehigh Valley is entering its 10th year of a program to encourage young people to consider careers in manufacturing. 

What’s So Cool About Manufacturing? started in the Lehigh Valley and has expanded across the state with more than 6,000 students and 525 manufacturers participating. In its 10th year, the program now has 60% of the state’s school districts participating. 

Run by the Manufacturers Resource Center, What’s So Cool About Manufacturing? is a competition that pairs middle school students with nearby manufacturers where they learn about what the manufacturer does and then create a video about what they learned, which are then judged by the community and a panel of judges cumulating with an awards ceremony in March. 

 Over the past decade, MRC has grown The WSCM Video Library with almost 1,000 manufacturing videos to become a much sought-after resource for education and economic development.  

Student teams will partner with manufacturers in eleven regions across Pennsylvania this year, where videos will compete first in regional contests and then in the annual Statewide Awards in Harrisburg.  

“Bringing the excitement of ‘What’s So Cool About Manufacturing?’ for the last 10 years in the Lehigh Valley is certainly a true accomplishment,” states Rich Hobbs, MRC president & CEO.  “It takes communities joining together to embrace an established and well-loved contest that not only inspires and educates, but that potentially grows a future workforce which in turn, will support economic growth and expansion in the area,” he concludes. 

For the Lehigh Valley competition this year, 32 student teams from Carbon, Lehigh, Monroe, and Northampton County middle schools are partnering with 32 area manufacturers to produce their video submissions.  All videos will be posted on the “What’s So Cool” website WhatsSoCool.org and will be open to the public for voting on March 1-3, 2023 for the Viewers Choice Award. The Lehigh Valley Awards Event is scheduled for Tuesday, March 14, 2023, at ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks in Bethlehem.