Oatey Co., a leading manufacturer in the plumbing industry since 1916, recently hosted a career education workshop for Northeast Ohio Girl Scouts at its Oatey University training facility in Cleveland, welcoming nearly 30 Girl Scouts to learn about careers in manufacturing and STEM.

The program was organized by Oatey’s Women’s Resource Network, an associate resource group dedicated to the professional, personal and leadership development of women. Oatey developed the event as part of the Girl Scouts’ BADGE BOSS program, which connects local professionals with Girl Scouts to share their expertise, advice and passion, while enabling the Scouts to earn a relevant Girl Scout badge.

Attendees at Oatey’s workshop, which took place Tuesday, Oct. 26, gained hands-on exposure to careers across manufacturing, while also exploring their own interests and passions. Key components of the two-hour workshop included the following:

• A personal-reflection exercise to help Scouts identify how their interests connect to real-world careers
• A panel discussion in which Oatey associates explained their role in the development and delivery of Oatey products
• A tour of the Oatey University training facility with hands-on demonstrations of Oatey products
• An interactive tower-building team competition, using Oatey Plumber’s Putty and spaghetti

All Girl Scouts who completed the workshop qualified for their STEM Career Exploration Girl Scout badge.

“It was a privilege for Oatey to host this group of energetic Girl Scouts and share more with them about the many career paths available in STEM and manufacturing,” said Amber Deighton, co-chair of Oatey’s Women’s Resource Network and manager of Oatey University. “Our Women’s Resource Network is passionate about supporting girls and women in our communities, and we are thrilled to establish this partnership with the Girl Scouts.”

Oatey plans to host another BADGE BOSS workshop in 2022, and expand the program to other cities in which it operates.