Reading students got a sneak peak this week of possible career choices available right here in
Berks County.
Upward Bound, a program at Reading Area Community College, joined with Junior Achievement of Greater Reading & Lehigh Valley for a job-shadowing event.
About 20 students toured the Quadrant Engineering Plastic Products plant at 2120 Fairmont Ave. and, in smaller groups, learned about the different jobs at the company, which makes high performance thermoplastics. The materials are provided to customers in a range of markets, including the aerospace, semiconductor-manufacturing and life-sciences/medical industries.
Quadrant employees from human resources, marketing, finance, manufacturing, production and engineering described their jobs and fielded questions from students.
Ricky Duong, 13, of Reading, who will be a ninth-grader this year at the Citadel intermediate high school, said he’s wanted to be an engineer since sixth grade.
“I think I’ll be able to work here,” Duong said. “I just need to know how the machinery works.”
State Sen. Judy Schwank, a Ruscombmanor Township Democrat, spoke to the students at the start of the tour.
“My job is to get you motivated to make this city a better place to live,” Schwank said. “I want you to go to school, have experiences in different communities and then come back and remember what the Reading community did for you.
“I know there are great things here, and you’re going to discover them.”
Ernest Perry, president and chief executive of the Junior Achievement office at 531 Canal St., told the students that just by attending Tuesday’s event, they were making a positive decision in their lives.
Source : readingeagle.com
