Getting the Job Done: Local Manufacturers Help Create High School Curriculum

There are two types of people: those who have ideas and those who turn those ideas into reality. Jay Baker, CEO of Jamestown Plastics, along with fellow manufacturer, Randy Stuart, former owner of Stuart Tool and Die, turned their idea into a reality that will have a long-lasting impact on their community in Western New York. Having been involved for many years in education, as the president of the board of education at age 32, he explored the options available locally and in the region and decided the way to go was to revive the former “shop” training. But his program had a twist. “Much like schools have Boys and Girls Scout clubs, why not have a manufacturing club? I called Stuart with this crazy idea, and he agreed.” So they started a STEM-focused club for students who want to learn how to “make it” on their own in an advanced manufacturing lab.