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good jobs that are and will be out there," Elk River High School Principal Terry Bizal said. "And we want see what they can do to help us make the most of our curriculum." Does that mean scaling back in one area that is fading to embrace another that is taking off? Does that mean apprenticeships or internships for high school students? Maybe it means schools borrow equipment a couple months at a time to train kids how to use real world technology that is state of the art. "We need to take a step back," Provo said. "Whatever is being done now is not working.The unemployment rate shows that. I have jobs that can't be filled, and there's people all over town that can't find work." Wilfahrt said the ideas were pouring out around the table Sept. i8. "I was so pleasantly surprised to see the expressions on people's faces, as you could see the gears turning as ideas were coming out," he said. In addition to Bizal,the Sherburne County Manufacturers Connection was attended by Salk Middle School Principal Julie Athman as well as TA Flatland, a magnet school teacher there. There were also several teachers from the Elk River High School, including: Paul Nelson, Shane Netzinger, Jon Ostercamp and Tim Wick. The Superintendent of Princeton Schools Rick Lahn,Joe Glenn of Glenn Metalcraft and Cory Lenz of J&J Machine of Elk River were in attendance. Provo and Matt James of M &M Machine have also been part of the Sherburne County Manufacturers Connection. One thing manufacturers discovered,Wilfahrt said, is that tours of area businesses stopped as the economy soured. Funds used to bus kids to businesses dried up.An official at the meeting from the Central Minnesota Workforce Center suggested he might know of a group that could provide such funding. "We would love to give kids a chance to see what's produced locally and what career opportunities are out there," Wilfahrt said. What else could come of this past week's meeting is yet to be determined. But the Elk River Economic Development Department sees a bright future. "Some cement laborers make more than my guys but they only work three months of the year," Provo said. "This is a good, stable income with benefits in a climate-controlled environment.And you're just as worthy at 20 years old as you are at 60."