Students tour manufacturing plants in Jackson

JACKSON, Tenn. — Jackson-Madison County students learned about the manufacturing industry and job opportunities on Wednesday.

South Side High School students visited LyondellBasell. The plastics, chemical and refining company has a plant in Jackson.

“They will have the opportunity to see exactly what’s going on in the plants, the things that are being made,” Jackson State Community College Retention Specialist Cathi Roberts said.

Roberts helped organize Manufacturing Day. It gives students an opportunity to learn about jobs within the industry. “If you have someone who’s interested in social work and that they think the only thing they can go into is case management, that there are other options out there in manufacturing,” Roberts said.

Dalton Thomas, a senior at South Side High School, said he wants to learn more about the engineering side of manufacturing. “How everybody works together to make all the products and the final product,” he said.

LyondellBasell said they hope the students understand there are a lot of opportunities in manufacturing. The company said it is always looking for good talent. “Operators, maintenance technicians, especially multi-skilled maintenance technicians,” LyondellBasell Health Safety and Environment Manager Raymond Powell said.

Roberts said there are high-paying manufacturing jobs available. “Right now, we’re just trying to bridge this gap of the Baby Boomers starting to retire,” Roberts said.

Jackson-Madison County students toured eight manufacturing facilities. The two-day event included some of the biggest manufacturers in the area.