The "American Made Movie Tour" kicked off its visit to the Lehigh Valley, the 20th location on its 32-city tour, by stopping at Lehigh Career and Technical Institute, Schnecksville.

Filmmaker Vincent Vittorio and Director and Producer Nathaniel Thomas McGill met with administrators and course instructors to discuss a possible solution to a tough question: "What do you think the secret is about getting students at a younger level interested in these [manufacturing] jobs again?" asked McGill .

"The Lehigh Valley is still living in the shadow of Bethlehem Steel," Sandra Himes, executive director for LCTI, replied. "The old perception of manufacturing is it is back-breaking, dirty labor.

"The people of the Lehigh Valley remember people lost their jobs and pensions. We first have to change that perception so they know the jobs are here and they are high-skilled, high-wage jobs."

LCTI Director of Postsecondary and Workforce Education Jan Klevis told the filmmakers Ocean Spray is moving to the Lehigh Valley from New Jersey.

"Companies are now reaching out to LCTI because they hear what we did for their neighbors [near Nestle Waters and Sam Adams Brewery] and they want us to do the same for them," she said. "This allows us to teach the exact technical skills to students to fill these jobs and to help the companies improve the skills of their incumbent workers."

Vittorio and McGill, along with their film crew, briefly toured the facility capturing footage for their upcoming documentary, the "American Made Movie Tour."

Before their departure, the crew praised LCTI for providing state of the art technical education to both secondary and post secondary students.

The crew wants to visit again for a documentary on education.

A screening of "American Made Movie" was held July 24 in the Frank Banko Alehouse Cinema at Bethlehem's Steel Stacks.

The documentary will be released nationally on Aug. 30.