by ARCADIA, Wis. – Ashley Furniture Industries LLC hosted a series of Career Day events over the past few months to inspire students about their futures and introduce them to working in the industry. Ashley proudly opened its doors to more than 100 high school students from Arcadia, Blair-Taylor, Cochrane-Fountain City, Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau, Independence and Whitehall to visit the Arcadia advanced manufacturing and distribution facility.
Participating students were invited to Career Day events focused on one of the following areas including Design; Transportation, Distribution & Diesel Mechanics; IT and Manufacturing; and Business. Students were given the opportunity to tour the facility and different workspaces, and to hear from professionals about their skills, job duties and work experience in the industry.
Career Day events provided a range of exploration opportunities:
- Design Day: Students met with team members to get a first-hand look at the design studio and the product design process at Ashley.
- Transportation, Distribution & Diesel Mechanics Day: Students visited the truck shop and had the opportunity to sit inside a state-of-the-art tractor during their tour.
- IT and Manufacturing Day: Students got a behind-the-scenes look at Ashley robotics and visited the data center.
- Business Day: Students participated in Mini Business World in partnership with Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce. During the session, students were challenged to design and present a product and competed for the title of best product and presentation based on their innovation, teamwork and overall presentation.
“It was amazing to see first-hand how Ashley programs, tests and uses robots in their manufacturing process,” stated Coltyn Pronschinske, Student, Independence School District. “Participating in career day helped me to see the use of robotics in a small town like Arcadia and gave me a look at future career opportunities available to me.”
“Mini Business World provided students the opportunity to bring their creativity, leadership and marketing skills to a lively competitive event,” stated Peg Baumgartner, Business Instructor, Arcadia High School. “This program is not just for students interested in business, it’s built to teach all students the power of creating, building and strategizing. Thank you, Ashley and WMC for your dedication to fostering future entrepreneurs.”
Ashley continues to strengthen long-time partnerships with K-12 and post-secondary schools. Investing in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math)-based learning opportunities, scholarships, instructor-based training, robotics programs and exposure to technical trades and career opportunities. As manufacturing continues to advance, Ashley believes in the importance of educating and training the current and future workforce.
