Host a Manufacturing Day Event; Introduce People to Careers in Manufacturing

Glenn Richardson. 
JobsOhio Managing Director.

In a little less than a month, thousands of communities, manufacturers, trade groups and economic development organizations across the country will celebrate Manufacturing Day. This annual event, which will be held Friday, Oct. 6, 2017 was created to improve public perception of manufacturing, introduce people to career opportunities in manufacturing and draw attention to manufacturing’s value to the U.S. economy.

To date, 111 events have been scheduled in Ohio throughout October. These events include:

• Tours of manufacturing facilities for high school and college students and their parents.
• Demonstrations of the newest technologies used in manufacturing, including robots, drones, 3-D printers and laser engravers.
• An opportunity to build a model rocket.
• A presentation for manufacturers on the best practices to find, develop and retain skilled employees.
• A program showcasing careers in STEM disciplines where guests can try on a space suit, launch rockets and drive a robot.
• A manufacturing expo featuring a job fair as well as displays and demonstrations from area manufacturers.
• Robotic and other competitions for high school students to showcase their manufacturing skills.

All manufacturers are encouraged to participate in Manufacturing Day by opening their doors and showing the public what modern manufacturing looks like: automated, highly technical and super innovative. It’s important the public recognizes that manufacturing offers well-paying and diverse career opportunities; everything from welders, machinists and fabricators to engineers, biochemists and computer programmers.

More than 595,000 participants, including over 267,000 students, participated in Manufacturing Day 2016. Among last year’s hosts, 89 percent said there was value in participating and 86 percent said they would host an event again. Eighty-eight percent of students said the activities were interesting and engaging, 89 percent said they were more aware of manufacturing jobs in their communities, and 64 percent said they were more motivated to pursue a career in manufacturing.

A rigorous manufacturing sector is essential to our state’s and our country’s economic well-being. It’s imperative that those in the industry do everything possible to attract and inspire the next generation of skilled workers.

It’s not too late to plan an event. Although Manufacturing Day is officially on Oct. 6, companies, communities and LEDOs can plan something any day in October that works best for them. The Manufacturing Day website offers plenty of tips to plan and host an event.