Made in Oconee Week celebrated by OEA and SDOC

Students in the School District of Oconee County (SDOC) learned about manufacturing and about the various products made in the county last week. “Made in Oconee” Week is a partnership between the SDOC and the Oconee Economic Alliance (OEA), explains Destination Oconee Manager Janet Hartman. “Made in Oconee started three years ago. Where we have great success with recruiting and retaining industry but one of the things that we found was there is a real misconception about what is manufacturing and a number of things where we were looking at students having a better understanding, so they could maybe a line themselves with getting a job in manufacturing or really looking at what is made here and how they could be successful here. So, back in 2015, an initiative with the OEA and the SDOC we put together this Made in Oconee campaign. We made three videos where we went into the schools, selected some students and really started talking to them about what their perception of manufacturing was. It was very enlightening from the stand point that manufacturing has changed dramatically over the years and everyone still has this 20-year ago version of manufacturing in their minds. So, it was a real eye opener. We’re real proud of the videos that we have put together because it really shows from the students’ perception how we were able to help change that perception and then partnered with a couple of our industries to get the perception from the manufacturing facility as well. So, now as we continue that partnership with the SDOC we continue to get understanding what is manufacturing, where can they be successful and how can they be successful.” To see the three videos, visit www.MadeInOconee.com.