Meeting with the Morris County Economic Development Corporation

Jan 11, 2017

On December 6th, Convertech Inc. attended a meeting with representatives from The Morris County Economic Development Corporation (MCEDC). The MCEDC is a division of the Morris County Chamber of Commerce focused on helping Morris County business “navigate the maze of commercial, industrial and governmental regulation” and “help build successes, quickly and efficiently”, as stated on their website. The group came together to engage in a discussion on how to expand the manufacturing education programs in Morris County. By expanding and introducing manufacturing programs in schools in Morris County, Convertech Inc. as well as other manufacturing companies in the area will be able to hire more qualified employees, expand their shops, and increase production.

There are many students enrolled in manufacturing programs statewide. But there are more manufacturing opportunities in other counties than there are in Morris County. Passaic County’s CTE School has a manufacturing program designed for students to work with different manufacturing tools and equipment. The program gives students the experience needed to work in the multiple aspects of the manufacturing industry. Morris County’s CTE school has an Engineering Design and Advanced Manufacturing program that was developed in 2015. However, the program is a two-year course taken at the County College of Morris. As mentioned in an article on County College of Morris’s website, the students focus on “basic engineering graphics, computer-aided drafting, materials for engineering technology, technical computer applications, mechanical prototyping, and electricity and electronics”. This program is a great opportunity for students however the course is geared more towards engineering than manufacturing machinists.

It is very interesting that the counties do not have the same manufacturing education opportunities. Especially since they have almost the same number of Manufacturing Firms in each county. According to the New Jersey Manufacturing Extension Program, in 2015, Passaic had 850 firms and Morris had 812 firms.

There is less exposure of the manufacturing technology trade in Morris County’s education system, but Manufacturing is an important job. By pursuing manufacturing technology education, students can open the door to a career right after completing the program. And going to college is still an option for those students as well. Convertech Inc. looks forward to working with the MCEDC to help gain more exposure of the manufacturing technology within the Morris County education system.

For more information about the Morris County Economic Development Corporation, visit http://www.morriscountyedc.org/.