- October is Manufacturing Month
- Women in manufacturing make 16 percent more than the median income for women in the U.S. workforce, according to a 2021 U.S. Commerce Department publication
- More women are signing up for the machine tool program at Fox Valley Technical College, an instructor said
October is manufacturing month.
And some students at Fox Valley Technical College are training for, and working in, the manufacturing industry at the same time.
"I'm working full-time... I'm also going to school here full-time," said Ariana Noss.
"That takes up about 16-18 hours of my day, but I signed up for it."
Noss is a student in the machine tool program at FVTC.
Noss signed up for an industry, manufacturing, where women earn 16 percent more than the median income for women in the U.S. workforce, according to a 2021 U.S. Department of Commerce publication.
"Having money to survive in today's economy is a plus," said Noss, who would like to see more women in the manufacturing industry.
Women make up 47 percent of the U.S. workforce, but only make up 30 percent of the manufacturing workforce, according the Department of Commerce.
But Erich Krowas, a Fox Valley Tech machine tool instructor who has been teaching for ten years, has seen some changes in the field.
"There are more women in it, and they're being successful at it, which is great," Krowas said.
Jennifer Bordeau, a Hortonville High School student, is also a machine tool student at FVTC, while working part-time, too.
"I love doing what I'm doing, working with my hands," Bordeau, 17, said when asked what motivates her.
"It's honest work," Bordeau said of manufacturing.
