"What's Up in Factories?" is a new curriculum developed by Thirteen/WNET to help students get a handle on the new world of manufacturing and the opportunities that it offers.

Teamwork, kaizen (continuous improvement) and lean manufacturing now mean something to those students who have participated in the WNET program and are aware of the impact manufacturing has on their daily lives.

Manufacturing today offers a wide array of career choices that are attractive to high school and college graduates. In workshops, teachers are being trained to communicate about the pleasures one can derive from making things, whether as part of the assembly team or seated at a manager's desk. This novel approach involves experiential learning for both faculty and students with a close-up look at the world of manufacturing as it existed in the industrial age and at recent trends that have changed the workplace and society.

"Public television has always sought to enhance educational opportunities, and we're glad to provide the resources and impetus for students and teachers to evaluate the way they learn today, so that they can succeed tomorrow," said William J. Baker, Jr., President of Thirteen/WNET, who holds a graduate degree in industrial psychology.

A critical component of the project is taking students on a tour of a factory so that they can see new trends in action. The tours dispel old beliefs that factories are loud, dirty, dehumanized places of work.