Connor Barnard of Alton (SWIC Photo by Marci Winters-McLaughlin).

GRANITE CITY - The SkillsUSA winner Connor Barnard of Alton recently spoke at the 2019 Manufacturing Day Opening Ceremony at Southwestern Illinois College's Sam Wolf Granite City Campus.

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Barnard is a precision machining technology student.

The seventh annual celebration saw more than 1,600 high school students from 43 schools on campus for tours of SWIC’s Technical Education classrooms and labs, such as Precision Machining Technology; Industrial Maintenance Mechanics; Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration; and Welding.

"The event was one of the largest Manufacturing Day open houses in the state," SWIC said in a release. "Students also enjoyed equipment demonstrations, visits with 42 exhibitors, plus tours of 15 area manufacturing companies.

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