Engineering via livestream video: York, Rock Hill students peer into working world

Adam Leger already knew the lingo of the engineering world, but Friday morning’s “field trip” gave him a new perspective.

Namely, that of workers who have been in the field for years.

Adam, a seventh-grader from York Middle School, joined nearly 800 students from eight York County schools who took an inside look at the Meritor Inc. facility in York, thanks to the livestream service WebEx.

The experience allowed hundreds of students to gain insight on a variety of high-tech careers, including those of machinists, assemblers, technicians and welders.

Adam, who excels in his engineering class, Project Lead The Way, said he learned that designing and engineering a working robot or automaton is not simple.

“I think it’s very important,” he said. “People need to get the parts ready, get the robot to build what they need. It shows that people can ... learn new things.”

Meritor, which hosted several of its employees on the video, manufactures brake components and assembles brakes for several types of buses, coaches and military vehicles at its York plant on Railroad Avenue.

The company said it would be contributing $5,000 to support the event and encourage eduction in STEM, or science, technology, engineering and math, and manufacturing careers.

The livestream video was able to reach students from Castle Heights, Saluda Trail, Dutchman Creek, Rawlinson Road and Sullivan middle schools, as well as York Comprehensive High School and the Floyd D. Johnson Technology Center.

Caleb Sexton, an eighth-grade student at York Middle, said he is hoping to work in the engineering field when he was older.

“I really liked the presentation,” said Caleb. “I know that robots are a big help, they make work a lot quicker. (Meritor) is very careful and safe with how they do things.”

Students were introduced to several workers inside the plant, including two who said they had the opportunity to learn new skills in school, thanks to the company.

John Eite, a Meritor control engineer, spoke with 50 to 60 students at an auditorium at York Middle. He said the company is committed to educating students and get them motivated to earning a job they wanted.

“We’re trying to steer them in the right direction for a career in manufacturing, if they want it,” said Eite. “We’re just trying to get them started in the right way.”

Josh Bovill, Leger’s teacher, said it’s important to expose students to STEM lessons as early as possible in order to for them to compete for high-tech jobs. In his Project Lead The Way class, students research and write reports on automation projects.

“It’s super important,” said Bovill. “As we know, technology is only ever expanding. We have the future right here, and we can be teaching them technology. When they go on to college, technical school, they can use those skills.”

This story was originally published October 28, 2016 at 4:13 PM with the headline "Engineering via livestream video: York, Rock Hill students peer into working world."