Voting begins today for the eighth year of the “What’s So Cool About Manufacturing” Lehigh Valley contest.

The counties have begun their fifth year of the video competition organized by the Manufacturer’s Resource Center that pairs students with manufacturers in the region to learn about manufacturing careers.

The Manufacturers Resource Center is launching its eighth “What’s So Cool About Manufacturing” contest in the Lehigh Valley. And with eight years of student video entries of the workings of area manufacturers saved up it is launching a comprehensive library of those student videos.

“The pandemic has caused manufacturers to think about different aspects of their businesses as they have tried to accommodate many personnel issues, supply chain disruptions and uncertainty in general,”

Reading Southern Middle School in Reading and Springhouse Middle School in South Whitehall Township, were among those honored Tuesday during the “Best of PA” statewide finals for the “What’s so Cool About Manufacturing” program.

Next week, 22 teams of middle schoolers will be competing for top honors in a virtual statewide What’s So Cool About Manufacturing virtual event, the “Best of PA” Statewide Awards.

While cybersecurity is an issue of concern for all companies, manufacturers face a considerable challenge in potentially having their whole production operation shut down because of a hacker.

The annual “What’s So Cool about Manufacturing?” video contest continues to grow each year. And this year’s Berks Schuylkill contest awards is no exception.

The 7th annual What’s So Cool About Manufacturing? video contest drew a record-breaking number of votes and more than 1,000 people to the award show last night to celebrate the winning entries at ArtsQuest Center in Bethlehem.

The 2020 video contest encourages students to “explore and get excited about cool manufacturing careers” and to produce profiles of companies throughout Pennsylvania, according to the MRC.