Keith Kern, general manager of CCW Forged Performance, a WELD brand, helped educate more than 500 students on careers in the performance aftermarket industry during Student Career Day at the KC World of Wheels in February. Student Career Day is an initiative to support the automotive educational programs at schools by exposing students to the wide range of opportunities in the industry through speakers, corporate support and event participation.

Kern concluded his speech by saying, “The performance aftermarket industry is a smart choice and we would love to see you join it!” WELD served as the presenting sponsor of the KC World of Wheels and an exhibitor during the event held Feb. 12-14 at Bartle Hall at the Kansas City Convention Center.

Kern was among several industry guest speakers and told students that it’s an ideal time to start a career in manufacturing. “For many years, jobs were moving out of the U.S. to offshore places like China and India,” said Kern. “That trend has slowed down, and in some cases we are seeing ‘on-shoring,’ where some of those jobs that were lost are coming back to the U.S.”

Kern also told students that the performance aftermarket is booming, as a significant sector of the U.S. economy, employing more than 4.3 million people. He also explained that industry sales in 2015 totaled $340.9 billion, a 3.9 percent increase over the previous year, contributing more than 2.3 percent of the U.S. gross domestic product.

“WELD has been on a steady growth path,” said Kern. “We have doubled our business in three years and we aren’t planning on slowing down any time soon. With all of this activity and growth, we have career opportunities available at many levels of our company which include manufacturing, design, engineering, sales and marketing. We are looking to you for fresh ideas and innovations to further the WELD product line.”