Students with the Santa Maria Joint Union High School District will find out Friday that they don’t have to manufacture jobs in the Santa Maria Valley.

More than 80 students from Santa Maria, Righetti, Pioneer Valley and Delta high schools will explore careers during “National Manufacturing Day” at Allan Hancock College.

The students will get a chance to meet local representatives from companies in the manufacturing industries, ask questions and take a tour of the college’s new $17.6 million industrial technology building.

Manufacturing instructor Robert Mabry believes many students need to know about jobs and opportunities available after graduation and the important role manufacturing plays in the U.S. economy.

“Santa Maria is a manufacturing center, and many students are not aware with some post-secondary education, career opportunities are plentiful right here at home,” said Mabry, adding that more than 82 percent of manufacturers report a moderate or serious shortage of skilled production workers nationwide.

SMHS student Kimberly Gomez Santos plans to explore how welding skills fit into the manufacturing world.

“I’m very excited to see the welding components and hoping to see the different varieties and skills used to create and weld things,” the 11th-grader said. “This is an opportunity to learn about a future career that I never thought was possible.”

Participating companies will include Helical Products, Melfred Borzall, North American Fire Hose, Malcolm DeMille Sculptor, Hardy Diagnostics and Titan Frozen Fruit.

— Kenny Klein is a media affairs coordinator for the Santa Maria Joint Union High School District.