Manufacturing Day is October 2, 2015 -- It’s Your Opportunity to Make a Difference

You know how it is, we all spend time complaining about the state that the world is in, or our country, or our own community.  We complain about our politicians not doing enough, or how expensive things are, or how it’s impossible to find good help . . . and the list goes on, and on, and on.  It’s not that we don’t have good intentions to get involved in helping to make our world, our country and our communities a better place; however, for many of us, we just don’t have a clue where to begin or how anything we could do might possibly make a difference.

Have you heard about Manufacturing Day?

Manufacturing Day is a national event that began four years ago and officially takes place each year on the first Friday of October.  Supported by a group of industry sponsors and co-producers, MFG DAY is designed to expand the knowledge about and improve the public’s view of manufacturing careers and the industry’s value to the U.S. economy. 

Host an Open House

Hosting an Open House on MFG DAY is really quite easy.  The event can be whatever you choose – a facility tour, an expo, a presentation, a roundtable . or anything you want.  One company held a community BBQ!  Open houses should be designed to showcase your facility and manufacturing careers to students, teachers, parents, job seekers, and other local community members.  If hosting an open house on your own sounds overwhelming, contact other local manufacturers in your area and see if you can do a combined event.  And if, for any reason, opening up your facility to the public isn’t an option, contact your local schools and offer to speak to the educators and students about what you do and the importance of manufacturing in the community.  

Facts You Should Know

Here are some quick facts that you should be aware of:

• More than 82% of manufacturers report a moderate or serious shortage in skilled production workers
• More than 75% of manufacturers say the skill shortage has negatively impacted their ability to expand
• Only 30% of parents encourage their kids to enter manufacturing
• Only 17% of people view manufacturing as a top career choice
• HOWEVER, the annual average salary of a manufacturing worker is $77K and manufacturing employees boast the highest job tenure in the private sector

From the facts above, it’s obvious that the public’s perception of manufacturing needs to be improved.  

Your Opportunity to Make a Difference!

By hosting an event on Friday, October 2^nd, YOU can help change the public’s perception of manufacturing! YOU can help educate people about the importance of manufacturing and its impact and value to the U.S. economy.  YOU can help inspire young minds and get students and others excited about entering a career in manufacturing.  YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!  And, believe it or not, it’s not hard at all.

Success Stories 

You’re not alone in this!  MFG Day is a very well organized movement. There are thousands of manufacturers, politicians, educators, and others that get involved in MFG Day.  But, before you begin perusing those materials, click here to view some success stories that may help to inspire YOU.

Resources

A wide variety of tools and resources have been created to help you prepare, promote and host your event. Check out the Quick Start Guide and the  Host Toolkit to help you get started.

Register Your Event Today!

Now that you know that YOU really can make a difference, that other manufacturers have had great successes hosting MFG DAY events, and that there are terrific resources at your disposal, please help your community, your industry, and your country by signing up now to host an event. You’ll be amazed at how good it will make you feel to be that person who really is helping to make a difference!