Houston's first annual Manufacturing Day, hosted by TXRX Labs, is Friday. Buses of middle and high school students will pull up at 9am for a full day of advanced manufacturing activities and education.

TXRX moved into the 300,000-square-foot, 21-acre East End Maker Hub earlier this year, and will finally be able to show off its primo equipment and network of creators, artists and inventors to a new generation of, well, creators, artists and inventors.

The subject areas covered during Friday's event include bioengineering, virtual reality, robotics and 3-D printing, and motivational speakers and area employers will also speak to students, hoping to inspire future members of a highly skilled workforce.

TXRX has trained and found jobs for hundreds of Houstonians since its inception more than a decade ago. Founder Roland Von Kurnatowski told CityBook in 2018 that he wants to teach young Houstonians a range of skills, such as CAD, CNC laser-cutting and router table operation, and pull folks and families out from under the poverty line.

"There are so many opportunities for folks who are not college-bound to pick up well-paying work and enter the middle class," he said. "Innovation can touch everyone on the socioeconomic scale, but we need to provide resources for everyone."

Metalsmithing, jewelry making and robotics are among the skills that can be learned at TXRX. / photos by Daniel Ortiz