East Hillsborough News

St. Petersburg College will partner with the Pinellas County Urban League and the Homeless Empowerment Program to present the Manufacturing, Engineering, Construction and Architecture (MECCA) expo. This one-day event is free and community members, middle school and high school students are invited to explore careers in Manufacturing, Engineering, Construction and Architecture and learn first-hand from professionals in those fields.

The event will be held at SPC’s Clearwater Campus on April 4 from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. SPC’s Engineering Technology Program Director, Sidney Martin, said SPC will open their engineering labs, offering interactive displays and activities to teach about careers in the engineering and architecture fields. The day will include many interesting activities and speakers, including people representing their companies, demonstrating interesting things about their careers and helping students visualize what the work in these fields entails.

“We want to expose middle and high school students to careers that they might not normally consider,” Martin said. “They’ll see that there are many great jobs in manufacturing and construction that aren’t necessarily dirty or dangerous.”

The featured keynote speaker, Drew Crowe, began his career as a machinist 13 years ago, and is now a sought-after speaker whose is to make young people and other non-traditional participants in the manufacturing field aware of the opportunities in that field. 

“Drew found himself at 18 years old as a father with two felonies,” Martin said. “He was able to find a career in manufacturing and overcome those roadblocks and go to college. His goal now is to show young people, especially underrepresented minorities, that there is a path to opportunities in life, and that they belong in the manufacturing community.”

SPC will have a table showcasing their programs in the manufacturing, engineering, construction and architecture fields, as well as information about financial aid. There will also be information about the new Biomedical Engineering Technology high school program, in which students graduate with a high school diploma as well as an Associate in Science degree that includes three certifications in the BMET field. They can immediately get jobs or continue their education.

“I hope students and community members will leave the event with a better understanding of the potential income within these career fields,” Martin said. There are many opportunities right here in Pinellas County that provide high income.”  

Participating businesses and sponsors for this event include Plasma-Therm, A.D. Morgan Corporation, Moss Construction, Creative Contractors, Fastenal, Smith Fence, FleischmanGarciaMaslowski Architecture, and McCormick Stevenson.

To learn more, contact Sidney Martin at martin.sidney@spcollege.edu.

Original source can be found here.