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Welding students from Central Carolina Community College demonstrated their trade at 2023 Manufacturing Day, an opportunity for high school students to learn about work and careers in the nation's expanding industrial sector. College representatives were on hand to show interested students what educational pathways are available to lucrative manufacturing jobs.

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Jerry Pedley from Mertek Solutions, right, was one of the trailblazers for Manufacturing Day when it started more than a decade ago -- inviting students to his robot manufacturing facility in Sanford. Pedley is still involved in Manufacturing Day as an exhibitor and one of the event's biggest supporters.

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Mack Miles from Wolfspeed, left, answers questions from one Manufacturing Day visitor about jobs with the semiconductor manufacturing company. Based in Durham, Wolfspeed is now building one of the world's largest materials manufacturing plants in Siler City, an area served by Central Carolina Community College.

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One of the more popular demonstrations at 2023 Manufacturing Day was a virtual reality simulation. Students were fitted with headsets and handheld devices to experience one of the hands-on, training simulations developed by Transfr, a New York-based company, to prepare workers for well-paying jobs.

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Even in the large industrial space, there were plenty of Instagram moments at Manufacturing Day -- including this one, where students climbed in and out of Caterpillar compact construction machines for a photo. Among the opportunities company officials discussed with students is Caterpillar's world-renowned welding apprenticeship in Sanford offered with Central Carolina Community College and Lee County Schools.

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Many students came to Manufacturing Day with a particular interest in how robots are used in industry and programmed to complete specific tasks. Several companies had working robots on display and took the time to answer questions about the design and manufacturing process.

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Swag is always a popular element of Manufacturing Day and Mertek Solutions combined an educational presentation with their free gifts. After students hit a button to start the process, this robotic arm turned in one direction to grab a golf tee and then rotated in the other direction to pick up a golf ball before placing them both in front of the students, so they could collect their swag and continue exploring the exhibition hall.