High school students will get an up close look Feb. 5 at area manufacturers who produce parts for everything from appliances and airplanes to engines and data systems, thanks to tours organized by Southern Arizona Manufacturing Partners (SAMP) and the Pima County One-Stop Career Center.

The program is in its third year and student interest continues to grow. This year more than 200 students from Desert View High School in the Sunnyside Unified School District will tour 16 manufacturers as well as Pima Community College’s machine shop, and behind-the-scenes areas at the UA Tech Park. The effort is meant to introduce students to Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) careers and occupations within the manufacturing industry.

The goal is that students who take part in the tours will enroll in STEM career pathways including machining courses at their high school. The SAMP program gives them the chance to take part in an 18-month program that couples coursework at Pima Community College with paid internships at local machine shops.

SAMP is a consortium that comprises 32 Southern Arizona manufacturing companies throughout Pima County. The group came together in 2012 with a goal to establish a pipeline of students ready to enter the field and started by revamping the training at Pima Community College. Students finish the program with a Machine Tool Certification from Pima Community College.

Some of the machine shops that students will be touring Feb. 5 are American Turbo Systems, CAID Industries, Grafted Growers, Industrial Tool Die & Engineering and Laron Inc. For more information about One-Stop services, please visit the One-Stop website at www.pimaworks.com.