JANESVILLE, WI
Students from Janesville, Wisconsin area schools received a personalized look at Prent Corporation’s global operations. Before embarking on their 18-day trip to China, the students visited Prent’s World Headquarters in Janesville. With a focus on cross-cultural education, the Janesville International Education Program (JIEP) partnered with Prent to create an opportunity to educate students on the global nature of their business. JIEP is a program supporting education and cross-cultural experiential learning programs.
“I wanted the students to focus this experience on international business, and show them how local Wisconsin companies such as Prent Corporation are growing globally. Many students do not know that global companies exist in their hometown,” said Karl Bryan, School Counselor at Craig High School in Janesville. “It allows students an opportunity to learn more about careers they may expect to see in manufacturing, and also an opportunity to discover unexpected manufacturing career paths such as finance, sales, and marketing.” Karl Bryan is actively involved in the school’s international education program and traveled abroad with the students.
During their trip to China, the students were invited to tour Prent China and learn about local day-to-day business processes. The visit was organized in an effort to create a cross-cultural connection between Prent’s global operations and international presence. Joined by students from Liangfeng High School, the two-hour visit included a presentation and plant tour, followed by a lengthy question and answer session.
“The students were asking good questions about the business operations at Prent China. They were also eager to learn about the advantages of being an international company, and sought advice about college qualifications for employment,” said KH Kuan, General Manager of Prent China.
“Visiting Prent Corporation in both Wisconsin and China made me realize the variety of career paths that come from a science or engineering background. I want to travel and see the world, and I didn’t realize the variety of global jobs that are available right here in Janesville,” said a Craig High School student.
The team of students focused on immersing themselves in the local culture. While touring the villages outside of Shanghai, the students witnessed the gap between the rich and the poor and recognized the urban-rural divide. Kuan explained to the students that the traditional villages will slowly disappear to give way to the growing economy and development in urban Shanghai.
About Prent Corporation
Prent Corporation is the world’s leading designer and producer of custom thermoformed packages for the medical device industry. The company has received 16 WorldStar medical packaging awards, operating in clean room environments at their facilities in Arizona, China, Costa Rica, Denmark, Malaysia, Puerto Rico, and Wisconsin. To learn more about Prent, visit www.prent.com.
Media Contact: Jessica Leising, Prent Corporation, jleising@prent.com