More than 600 students from around Mahoning County visited the Mahoning County Career and Technical Center (MCCTC) on Monday to learn about manufacturing.

The Cutting Edge Manufacturing Event exposes students in grades four through six to manufacturing.

The students work with local industry experts to make a product from start to finish. Hands-on activities teach each step that goes into the process.

The day includes problem-solving, teamwork and a bit of fun competition.

“Our manufacturers have need for replacing their retiring workforce and they’re growing and incorporating new technologies and so that’s the reason that we want to continue to get the word out to younger students,” said Jessica Borza, executive director of the Mahoning Valley Manufacturers Coalition.

The Mahoning Valley Manufacturers Coalition supports the event every year. The organization says it wants to get kids excited about manufacturing at a young age.

BOC Water Hydraulics was just one of the companies that went to guide students through a project from start to finish.

With 1,200 industries in the five surrounding counties, company representatives say it’s important for local companies to expose young children to manufacturing.

“This is where the rubber meets the road, it’s where the kids can hear about industry. They can go home and talk to their parents about it and say, ‘You should see the things I saw today,'” said John Burr, BOC Water Hydraulics.

Burr says this is the best age to get students started on thinking about what they want to do and a great way to fill future jobs in the industry.