More than 1,000 attend Valley Made Manufacturing Summit

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- About 100 manufacturing exhibitors packed the Fresno Convention Center for the 5th Annual Valley Made Manufacturing Summit.

Different businesses set up shop, informing people about what they do and the working opportunities available.

The event was tailored for all skills levels - from industry veterans to the next generation.

"For a lot of them, it is just exposure to manufacturing and the different careers that are available and the different jobs that exist and what kinds of paths they can take," said Troy Brandt, chairman of the SJVMA.

Upstairs, Fresno Unified high school seniors had the opportunity to earn experience and even a job.

More than 100 students partook in sit-down interviews with local manufacturers.

For many of them, this is a first.

"I think it went really well. I think I might get the job that I wanted to go for," said Tenoch Borja, a senior at Duncon Polytechnical High School.

"This is my first interview, so before I was nervous, but I think it went much better then I thought," said another senior, Christopher Gash.

Nick Miskulin, a senior at Patino School of Entrepreneurship, interviewed with local business Dumont Printing.

"I feel like it went really well. Honestly it was my first actual interview and it was a real learning experience for me," he said.

Owner Susan Moore is looking for an intern and says she has some good candidates.

"It is great for the student to be able to say - 'Hey, this is what I can do, or this interests me', before they spend four years in college."

This is the first time the summit conducted interviews in this fashion.

Moore says it prepares students for the next step in life, but also shows them what's available.

The jobs are evolving and demand needs to be met.

"Fresno has a lot to offer and we have a huge manufacturing community that is not very well known," she says.

According to organizers, more than 1,000 people attended the summit - informing, employing educating the manufacturers of tomorrow.