600 Inland Empire Students Explore Manufacturing Careers at InTech Center

Riverside bus manufacturer ENC had a good reason to be front and center on Oct. 2 for hundreds of students exploring manufacturing careers in Fontana.

The company plans to build more than 200 new electric buses in the next two years for use in Los Angeles during the LA28 Olympic Games.

“We’re going to need all hands on deck over the next couple of years,” said Kevin Rivera, manufacturing recruiter.

About 600 junior high and high school students attended Manufacturing Day at the Chaffey College Industrial Technical Learning Center to get a glimpse of jobs in welding, industrial electrical maintenance, machining and robotics.

Students got a chance to use welding equipment, examine manufacturing tools and even play with a robotic dog during their visit. InTech and Chaffey College instructors answered questions about jobs, salary and education.

Seth Wallace, a teacher at Grand Terrace High School brought 45 freshmen from his introduction to engineering design class to the event. He’s also developing a construction pathway program at his school.

“I’m trying to bring the trades back into what we do,” he said.

Marissa Rodriguez and Alexander Escoto, both from Summit High School in Fontana, came to research career paths because of their common interest in architecture.

“I really like anything that has to do with being creative and making things,” Rodriguez said.

Grand Terrace High School student Savannah Wyrick is also drawn to architecture. She discovered the field through her stepfather, who works in management for a construction company.

“I’ve been able to see the process of architectural design and I really love it,” she said. “I really want to open my eyes to what’s available in this field.”

Fontana-based Burrtec handed out miniature waste bin replicas and Dumpster stress balls to visiting students, showing them a manufacturing career path they might not have considered.

Burrtec has hired numerous Chaffey College InTech students as technicians, said Susan Rodriguez, corporate recruiter.

“For young kids, we tell them about sustainability, the environment and what our services are, as well as careers that they could pursue in the future,” she said.