On October 22nd, 87 students from the 5 collaborative schools participated in the first annual Tour of Manufacturing.  These students visited area businesses to find out about the products they produce and the types of jobs at their manufacturing sites.  Participating in the tours were Avicenna (Montevideo), SpecSys (Granite Falls), Prinsco (Prinsburg), Chandler Industries (Montevideo), Granite Falls Energy, and Ice Castle Fish Houses (Montevideo).  The hospitality of those businesses was much appreciated.  Minnesota West Community and Technical College hosted the students and chaperones for a pizza lunch.   A big Thank You to Nicole Zempel of Minnesota West for providing the lunch and student door prizes.  After lunch, the students listened to Luke Greiner, an analyst at the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development.  Luke talked about the abundance of job opportunities in the collaborative area and the importance of students matching their interests and skills with the jobs in their future.  Appreciation to Renae Jenniges and Audra Klinkner, our Career Navigators from the Southwest Minnesota Private Industry Council, for organizing the business tours.