When Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories found itself with a backlog of manufacturing work, leadership decided to turn the challenge into an opportunity.

The company is finishing up its second year of hosting the Summer Assembler Program, an initiative that offers seasonal jobs to high school students and the region.

Senior Manufacturing Director Jake Schlosser said the program began with around 85 workers to tackle the tremendous amount of work needed to be done.

While the engineering firm didn’t have the same amount of demand this year, he said the company received positive feedback from the experience and chose to take on about 45 assemblers.

Schlosser said one focus of the initiative is to provide jobs for the community. The local opportunity has drawn in participation as north as Steptoe and as far south as Lewiston, as well as a couple seniors from Pullman High School.

Program participants and Pullman High School seniors Anina Swanson and Reed Newell said they both plan to become engineers and thought the experience would lend a sneak peek into the field.

It’s Swanson’s second summer at the program and Newell’s first. They anticipate coming back for another year before heading to college.

Newell said they’re responsible for assembling circuit boards. The two work in automation insertion, which Swanson said involves hand-placing parts onto the boards and routing them to machines before they’re processed later in the factory.

Schlosser said both are in the first department or stage of manufacturing. The circuit boards are installed into a chassis, or a physical structure that contains internal components of a computer, which becomes a protective relay communication controller that safeguards different power systems.

Swanson and Newell said they enjoy the learning aspect of the job and the ability to explore different fields of engineering.

While Newell is set on becoming an aerospace engineer, he appreciated being out on the floor and working with engineers for the summer. Swanson was on the fence between electrical and mechanical engineering, and said the experience has made her more sure of what path she wants to take.

The two were also given opportunities to connect with professionals through workshops and job shadowing. Schlosser said this included learning, agility, interviewing skills and an introduction to marketing, engineering, finance and human resources.

One of the program’s hallmarks is connecting staff to future careers. Schlosser said the engineering firm prides itself on long-term employment.

Some engineers told Swanson and Newell they worked at the company while going to college. They pair said they feel secure knowing they can have a stable job while going to school.

A university Newell sees himself attending is Purdue University, and he said the engineering firm has manufacturing buildings near the institution. He hopes to transfer sites and have a full-time job at SEL while going to college.

Swanson said she plans to stay in the area and attend University of Idaho or Washington State University. She hopes to work at the company so she doesn’t have to stress about finding a source of income while receiving an education.

Pearce can be reached at eparce@dnews.com.