OTC actually just finished an advanced manufacturing training building that does exactly this. It's the big new place at the corner of national and division. MSU and Rolla have been working on their engineering coop program as well. You can now get a mechanical engineering degree there as well as electrical or civil. And don't quote me, but I believe otc offers a couple of years free as part of missouri's A+ scholarship program, which is pretty easy to get for high schoolers. The opportunities are there.

There's a lot of good paying light manufacturing work around here. People seem to overlook it. I worked those jobs through college then spent time in the local manufacturing community as an engineer when I graduated. In fact a lot of manufacturing employers will actually pay for your college if it's a degree that benefits the company. I worked with plenty of engineers who gor their degrees that way.