Today is the second annual Manufacturing Day, a day dedicated to celebrating the importance of manufacturing to the nation’s economy and to draw attention to the many high-skill jobs available in manufacturing today.
This year’s Manufacturing Day theme is “Youth and Technology,” according to Pat Lee, marketing director for the Fabricators and Manufacturers Association, one of the event’s co sponsors. The hope is to get young people more aware of manufacturing and to understand both the benefits and opportunities it provides.
“There is very little in manufacturing that gets done manually,” Lee said in a news release. “And how we have missed the chance to connect what kids seem to love in terms of what they do in their free time — play video games, play on cell phones, and that sort of thing — how we have missed that … I’m just really surprised that the connection has not been made more effectively. However, I’m going to say that one of the problems is that we no longer have a vital connection from manufacturing to education and back again because industrial arts programs are gone.”
500 Events in 50 States
Organizers hope to raise public awareness of manufacturing by having more than 500 manufacturing-related events in all 50 states in celebration of this year’s Manufacturing Day. Events will include open houses, public tours, career workshops and other events to raise public awareness of modern manufacturing.
A second goal is to introduce manufacturers to business improvement resources and services available in their areas, according to a news release posted on the Manufacturing Day website.
Raising Awareness About Manufacturing’s Impact
Jay Timmons, president and CEO of the National Association of Manufacturers, another event sponsor, said Manufacturing Day is a great opportunity to show people how modern manufacturing impacts their lives.
“This day is an engaging way to attract young people and get them excited about pursuing a career in a technology-driven, innovative environment that will also provide a good-paying job,” Timmons said. “We encourage all manufacturers and manufacturing associations to get involved and share what we already know: Manufacturing makes us strong.”
Building on Previous Success
During last year’s inaugural celebration, about 240 events were held in 37 states, involving more than 7,000 participants.
“We want people who have never set foot inside a manufacturing plant to get a chance to do that in their own communities,” Lee said.
In addition to the Fabricators & Manufacturers Association and the National Association of Manufacturers, the Manufacturing Institute, Manufacturing Day is co-sponsored by the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership.