Manufacturing Day – Opening Doors, Opening Minds!
National Manufacturing Day is the nation’s largest, one-day celebration of the Manufacturing Industry. It is designed to raise awareness about the modern dynamics and opportunities that a career in manufacturing present for the next generation of workforce talent. MFG DAY addresses common misperceptions about manufacturing by giving manufacturers an opportunity to open their doors and show, in a coordinated effort, what manufacturing is — and what it is not. Students and the community can see for themselves how far manufacturing jobs have come, and the environments in which they take place. Manufacturers need to capture the minds of the next generation as more than 3.5 million job openings are expected over the next decade with a growing skills shortage. When students and parents experience modern manufacturing firsthand, their attitudes and opinions about our industry shift for the better.
Manufacturing Day 2018 was held on Friday, October 5, 2018. The Manufacturing Alliance was well represented with the following members opening their doors to students, parents, educators and the community: Acme Corrugated Box Co., Inc., Airline Hydraulics Corporation, Bless Precision Tool, Bracalente Mfg., Demco Automation, Electro Soft Inc., KVInc, Lampire Biological Labs, M&S Centerless Grinding, Penn Engineering, PennFab, Pulse Technologies, Ryerson, Solar Atmospheres, Timberlane and Worth and Company. Over 400 students from area high schools including Hatboro Horsham, Morrisville, Harry S. Truman, Souderton High School, Center for Student Learning, Western Montgomery Career and Technology Center, Upper Bucks County Technical High School, Bucks County Technical High School, and Bucks County Community College took guided tours, asked questions, and engaged employer representatives to discuss career opportunities within their organizations. The student response was nothing short of fantastic. In fact, several students even applied for paid internship opportunities with some of our member companies! It is never too early to plan for next year’s event which is being held on October 4, 2019. Please register for Manufacturing Day 2019 by visiting www.mfgday.com.
Article written by Mark Solis, Bucks County Workforce Development Board Bristol, PA, www.bucksworks.org. Mark is the Manufacturing Specialist with the Bucks County Workforce Development Board. He works with area employers to assist with workforce training opportunities, overseeing state grant helping with a company’s hiring efforts. Mark is responsible for administering state grants and the WIB liaison for the Manufacturing Alliance of Bucks and Montgomery Counties Industry Partnership.
