Skilled Workforce: Port Erie Plastics
Preparing the next generation of skilled workers — That's the role of Erie High School's Career and Technical program.
Two senior Erie High students are currently working co-op at a Harborcreek company.
Port Erie Plastics offers high-quality plastic fabrication services. They manufacture a variety of products from storage units for the food industry, to temporary flooring, and water pipes for home and commercial buildings.
With over 400 employees, Port Erie currently provides on-the-job training to Erie High career tech machining students.
'We have two students who come here every week to work with our experienced toolmakers and hopefully be the next generation coming in and taking over for that team,' according to Heather Evans, Human Resource manager.
One of them is Daniel Miller, working at Port Erie during his senior year, continuing a family tradition. He said, 'My dad's a machinist. He's been all over the place in Erie. It always inspired me. He'd always come home and tell me stories.'
Miller added, 'So, I got like, I wanted to do it so when I went to Erie High I figured I could do machining trade, so then I chose it, and it led me here.'
Another Erie High student at Port Erie is a guy everyone calls Knobby. Nawid Ullahqudiri is Afghan and came to Erie a few years ago. He appreciates his Erie High machine training and the opportunity to operate machines at Port Erie. He likes the work and says it's interesting and fun!
Jason Campbell graduated from Erie High five years ago and is progressing in his manufacturing career. He's currently an apprentice in the tool and die program. He said, ' I came from being an operator for CNC. Pays decent. But then once you get advanced you start like, tool and die making, I'm doing an apprentice right now, and they make a lot of money.'
Working co-op is a win-win for students and the company. Evans says there's lots of opportunity in this industry. 'I hope young students realize there's a lot in Erie to do. And they just have to get out there.' She suggested students, go do the job shadows your school offers. Do a co-op. Talk to different professionals or your neighbors and learn what's out there. I think people miss there are great careers in Erie that you can have for your life.
To learn more about the opportunities at Port Erie Plastics, go here.
For ideas on other local manufacturing opportunities, look here.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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Uzbekistan Builds Where the West Withdrew
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Tashkent has consistently called for engaging with Taliban-run Afghanistan, including unfreezing the $9 billion in state assets that were seized by American and European authorities after the ouster of the Kabul government in August 2021 Central Asia is a water-stressed region and Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan are in the 'severe water stress' category. The construction of the Qosh Tepa canal in Afghanistan threatened to increase tensions between the Taliban-led Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan and Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan by reducing the water flow of the Amu Darya River by 15-20% - a disaster for Central Asia agriculture. (In Uzbekistan, agriculture accounts for 25% of GDP and about 26% of the labor force.) In April 2025, Uzbekistan and Afghanistan agreed to cooperate in sharing the water resources in the Amu Darya River Basin. 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Outside meddling in Afghanistan usually leads to tears, but if Tashkent can work with the moderate, outward-looking Taliban based in Kabul that want to improve the economy, it may subtly tip the balance against the hard-liners in Kandahar. (Yes, Siraj Haqqani and Mullah Omar are the 'moderates' but that is where we are right now.) Uzbekistan may have a role in the future exploitation of critical minerals in Central Asia and can help the U.S. build a secure critical mineral supply chain. According to Visual Capitalist, 'Out of the 50 minerals deemed critical by the U.S. government, the U.S. is 100% reliant on imports for 12 of them, and over 50% reliant for another 321 critical minerals.' Central Asia and Afghanistan are endowed with critical minerals but their isolated location presents a difficult transport problem. 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Afghanistan welcomes upgraded diplomatic ties with neighbouring Pakistan
Afghanistan has welcomed an upgrade in its diplomatic ties with Pakistan, signalling an easing of tensions between the South Asian neighbours. Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Friday said the charge d'affaires stationed in the Afghan capital, Kabul, would be elevated to the rank of ambassador, with Afghanistan's Taliban government later announcing its representative in Pakistan's capital, Islamabad, would also be upgraded. A charge d'affaires serves as an embassy's chief of mission in the absence of the ambassador. 'This elevation in diplomatic representation between Afghanistan [and] Pakistan paves the way for enhanced bilateral cooperation in multiple domains,' the Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs posted on X on Saturday. Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi is due to visit Pakistan 'in the coming days', the ministry spokesman, Zia Ahmad Takal, said. Only a handful of countries – including China – have agreed to host Taliban government ambassadors since their return to power in 2021, with no country yet formally recognising the administration. Pakistan is the fourth country to designate an ambassador to Kabul, after China, the United Arab Emirates and Uzbekistan. Russia last month said it would also accredit a Taliban government ambassador, days after removing the group's 'terrorist' designation. For the past few months, relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan have been rocky over security concerns and a campaign by Islamabad to expel tens of thousands of Afghan refugees. Islamabad says armed groups which launch attacks inside Pakistan use Afghan soil. Kabul denies the allegation, saying such violence is Pakistan's domestic problem to handle. However, Foreign Minister Dar on Friday said relations between the two nations have improved since he visited Kabul last month. Last week, he also met Muttaqi and their Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, during a trilateral meeting in Beijing. Following that meeting, China said it will 'continue to assist with improving Afghanistan-Pakistan ties'.
