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Teacher Mikey Di Colella takes students into the manufacturing lab when it visited Putnam Middle School last week. More photos Wed. night on our FB page: Putnam Town Crier & Northeast Ledger. Linda Lemmon photo.


Opening the world of manufacturing


By Linda Lemmon
Town Crier Editor
PUTNAM — The lab trailer might have colorful wraps and tiny 3-D submarines and a selfie station but its goal is serious: Spark an interest in manufacturing in young students.
The EASTCONN Mobile Manufacturing Lab pulled into the parking lot of the Putnam Middle School last week and seventh and eighth grade students toured the gadget-filled lab to get hands-on with modern manufacturing tech.
Leading the tour was Tomas Hallengren with assistance from Kevin Segar. Other vital parts of the program are: Kristin Hempel, director of Adult and Community Programs, and Donna Drasch.
The lab contains tastes of various manufacturing jobs that students never thought about.
And those manufacturing jobs are vital to the strong economy of eastern Connecticut.
The lab is an engaging collection of robots, lasers, 3-D printers (which produced the tiny submarines) and much more. The lab is “powered by” buildsubmarines.com, Eastern Advanced Manufacturing Alliance, Eastern Connecticut Workforce Investment Board, and General Dynamics.
Following the tour students said they never realized how many opportunities there are in manufacturing and how important manufacturing is.
The job listings are impressive: Carpenter, outside mechanic, inside mechanic, pipefitter, rigger, sheet metal worker, welder, electrician, ship fitter, draftsman and engineer.
Middle school Principal Gregory Keith said it’s a great program.
“The EASTCONN Mobile Manufacturing Lab’s visit to Putnam Middle School (last) week has been valuable for our students. They got hands-on experience with manufacturing technology and learned about well-paying career opportunities right here in Connecticut. This practical exposure to modern manufacturing connects classroom learning to real-world careers. The program directly connects our students with the kinds of jobs our region needs to fill.”
To learn more about the program: https://www.eastconn.org/mobile-manufacturing-lab.

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