‘Dream it. Do it.’ expands, inspires youth to explore manufacturing careers
Middle school students from four counties will soon visit local manufacturing facilities to learn about operations and career opportunities in the area.
Now in its 10th year, the “Dream it. Do it.” program pairs industry partners with middle school teams to introduce students to careers in manufacturing.
The Anderson County Chamber of Commerce and Consolidated Nuclear Security kicked off the annual “Dream it. Do it.” competition on Oct. 21, 2024, at Junior Achievement of East Tennessee. CNS, the managing and operating contractor for the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge and the Pantex Plant in Amarillo, Texas, has sponsored and helped facilitate the competition for a decade.
CNS supports “Dream it. Do it.” as part of its workforce development efforts in the region, aiming to make students aware of career opportunities close to home, including potential roles at Y-12 in support of its national security mission.
Originally launched in Anderson County and Oak Ridge City Schools, “Dream it. Do it.” has now expanded to include three more counties: Campbell, Scott, and Union.
“The growth of this program is exciting,” said Anderson County Chamber President Rick Meredith. “We couldn’t support this expansion without our local industry partners, and we’re especially grateful to Aisin Automotive Casting Tennessee and SL Tennessee for working with two student teams this year.”
At the kickoff, the following industry–school teams were announced:
• Aisin Automotive Casting Tennessee with Jacksboro and Norwood Middle Schools
• Eagle Bend Manufacturing, MAGNA with Jefferson Middle School
• Clayton Homes of Appalachia with Jellico Middle School
• Clayton Homes of Maynardville with Horace Maynard Middle School
• GEON Performance Solutions with Lake City Middle School
• Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge with Robertsville Middle School
• SL Tennessee with LaFollette and Norris Middle Schools
• Techmer PM with Clinton Middle School
Kristin Waldschlager, CNS educational outreach specialist, challenged students to visit the manufacturing facilities twice before the year’s end to get the projects rolling.
“The winning teams will earn funds to support classroom activities,” she said.
Student teams will work with their industry partners to produce a short video in hopes of winning funds to support science, technology, engineering, and math initiatives at their schools.
In April, the public can vote for their favorite video to determine the People’s Choice Awards.
