The program earns scouts a Business Jumpstart or Business Creator badge while educating girls about careers in STEM
Oatey Co., a leading manufacturer in the plumbing industry since 1916, recently hosted a career education workshop for Connecticut Girl Scouts at its Farmington, Conn., location, welcoming nearly 30 Girl Scouts to learn about careers in manufacturing and STEM.
The program was organized by Oatey’s Women’s Resource Network, an associate resource group dedicated to the professional, personal and leadership development of women. Oatey developed the event as part of the Girl Scouts’ BADGE BOSS program, which connects local professionals with Girl Scouts to share their expertise, advice and passion, while enabling the scouts to earn a relevant Girl Scout badge. After piloting a similar event at the Oatey University facility in Cleveland last year, members of the Women’s Resource Network in Farmington took the lead on a program in their own community.
Attendees at Oatey’s workshop, which took place on November 9, gained hands-on exposure to careers across manufacturing, while also exploring their own interests and passions. Key components of the two-hour workshop included:
- A panel discussion in which Oatey associates explained their roles in the development and delivery of Oatey products
- An overview of plastic tubular manufacturing and commercialization
- A hands-on plastic tubular engineering challenge, in which Girl Scouts applied problem-solving skills to determine the most efficient way to move an object
All Girl Scouts who completed the workshop qualified for either a Junior Business Jumpstart Badge or a Cadette Business Creator Badge.
“Oatey’s Women’s Resource Network is pleased that we could expand our partnership with the Girl Scouts through our second STEM Career Education Workshop,” said Dawn Lawson, co-chair of the event and associate at Oatey’s Farmington location.
Kelly O’Donovan, also co-chair of the event and an Oatey associate in Farmington, added, “It is critical to educate girls and women about the robust STEM career opportunities available to them, including the development of products we use every day. It was a joy to welcome the Girl Scouts to our facility and share our passion for what we do.”
ABOUT OATEY CO.
Since 1916, Oatey has provided reliable, high-quality products for the residential and commercial plumbing industries, with a commitment to delivering quality, building trust and improving lives. Today, Oatey operates a comprehensive manufacturing and distribution network to supply thousands of products for professional builders, contractors, engineers and do-it-yourself consumers around the world.
Oatey is based in Cleveland, Ohio, and has locations in the United States, Canada, Mexico and China. For more information, visit www.oatey.com, call (800) 321-9532 or follow Oatey on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or Instagram.
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