Temple, TX (October 09, 2025) — Around sixty Temple ISD students received VIP, behind-the-scenes looks at careers in manufacturing today. The event was part of the Temple Economic Development Corporation’s (TEDC) celebration of Manufacturing Month in Temple.
“TISD is thrilled to offer this valuable experience to interested students,” Sara Bartlett, Director of Career and Technical Education for Temple ISD, said. “Attendees are eager to deepen their understanding of local industries, learn about the products manufactured in Central Texas, and build professional relationships by networking with local experts.”
Juniors and Seniors from Temple High School’s Career and Technical Education program enjoyed tours of Wilsonart, Materials Transportation Company (MTC), Acer, and Novolex’s plants.
After the tours, students traveled to Temple College, where they had the opportunity to explore the new Workforce & Visual Arts Building. The 70,000-square-foot facility includes dedicated spaces where students will work with construction equipment, semiconductors, artificial intelligence, and state-of-the-arts robotics.
While on the Temple College campus, students were able to hear from DeDe Griffith, Vice President of Workforce Development at Temple College, and Adriana Rogers a recent graduate from Temple College’s CADD Engineering Technology program.
Griffith highlighted some of the manufacturing skills that employers are looking for in potential employees. Griffith says that much of Temple College’s Workforce curriculum is designed in collaboration with employers.
“I’m blessed to be able to interact with… employers or new industries that are considering Central Texas, and I’m able to ask them, ‘What is it that you need?’” Griffith said. “We’re building programs, so that we can run alongside the employers. If we can work with the employer, instead of reacting to them after the fact, there’s a better chance that we’re able to provide them with the talent pipeline that they need.”
Rogers shared her experience of entering the engineering program at Temple College, with hesitation, only to fall in love with the curriculum. After graduation, Rogers joined the team at Kiella Homebuilders, where she serves as a draftsman. She says that her earliest classes at Temple College gave her not just the skills but the mindset to make her a success in the role.
“It’s just keeping the basics and saying, ‘This may be complicated in the end, but this is the first step,’” Rogers said. “It’s step by step, and you don’t have to think of it as a big monster. It’s just the first step, then the next, and eventually you get to the end.”
After the presentations, students toured the facility and tested themselves with hands-on activities, including an augmented reality welding display, a pipe bending exercise, and a robotics demonstration. They also had the chance to walk through the state-of-the-art semiconductor lab.
“I was surprised at how much of their attention I had over the semiconductors,” Griffith said. “I didn’t lose anyone’s attention in that space, so that’s pretty exciting. I know most of them had never even heard of it.”
Temple EDC hoped the event might open the eyes of students to the potential of careers in the city’s thriving manufacturing industry. Griffith shared that at least one student had approached her at the conclusion of the day to say that her eyes had been opened to career paths she had never considered.
“She said that she knew she wanted to go into the trades, but she hadn’t thought about this kind of trade,” Griffith said. “She had only thought about being an electrician or plumber or something like that. She realized that these were kind of trades as well, and it’s exciting to see them sort of realizing that there is so much more out there for them.”