As many in the industry are aware, October 4, 2013 marked the second annual Manufacturing Day, and it was a great success. Sponsored by the National Association of Manufacturers and other leading industry groups, it was a day dedicated to not only celebrating the value of American manufacturing, but also to getting young people interested in manufacturing.
It’s no secret that the industry is facing a skilled labor shortage, and one of the goals of Manufacturing Day was to “show modern manufacturing for what it is—a technology-driven industry that offers secure, good-paying jobs and the ability to develop products that will change the world,” according to Jay Timmons, NAM’s President and CEO. This year, over 800 manufacturers participated, opening their doors to their communities and to younger generations, highlighting the importance of American-made goods and the bright future the industry presents to those who are a part of it.
Personally, we found Manufacturing Day to be both successful and rewarding. We opened our facilities as part of the day, and welcomed in 125 students representing three different schools. With the overall goals of the day in mind, coupled with our personal belief in the importance of it, we took the opportunity to provide exposure of what we do to young people—grades 9-12—who will soon be faced with a career decision. We hoped to take the mystery out of manufacturing by showing them that it is an exciting, high-tech, computer- and math-intensive industry where every day, you are making things that matter. We showed them sample parts and finished products, and got them interested and excited.
We believe it’s safe to say that it wasn’t just a successful day for us, but for the students as well. We got great feedback from the kids and their teachers, and we could see that they were definitely enlightened. We love our industry and what we do, and we loved having the opportunity to showcase it to the workers of tomorrow.