IRON MOUNTAIN — Education, community and industry partners will come together Friday for a Manufacturing Day event at Bay College West, part of its Heavy Metal Tours campaign highlighting local skilled trades and technical career opportunities.

Manufacturing Day will include 380 freshman students from Kingsford, Iron Mountain, Norway, North Dickinson and Florence, Wis., schools. They will take part in a series of hands-on activities, including a Kleenex assembly, the marshmallow challenge and constructing card towers.

Participating businesses include Lakeshore Systems, BOSS Snowplow, Systems Control, Loadmaster and CCI Systems.

Dickinson County has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the Upper Peninsula at 3.2 percent, with 20 percent of the workforce in manufacturing. “Our employers are not only faced with the challenge of baby boomer retirements, but it is estimated we will be adding over 650 new jobs in the area within the next three to five years. We have to be proactive,” said Lois Ellis, director of the Dickinson Area Economic Development Alliance.

The DAEDA, Bay West, Northern Initiatives and Michigan Works! all are involved in the event.

For more information, go to www.heavymetaltours.com.