Mark Morrison
IACMI Communications Director
October 7, 2022 – Happy Manufacturing Day 2022! If you make a living working for an organization with manufacturing in its name like I do – The Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation – it’s impossible not to know that today, the first Friday in October, is famous as THE national manufacturing day in the United States.
It’s a time set aside each year to inspire the next generation to come into the manufacturing profession, a day to show students – and their parents – the opportunities and power of modern manufacturing.
I’ve been fortunate. For more than 20 years, I’ve experienced the joy of creating and the magic of manufacturing. My career has taken me inside the industrial worlds of global automotive and home building products. I have witnessed some of the best workers in the world design and make high-quality parts and products with their hands, all while relying on critical thinking and problem-solving skills and operating high-performance equipment.
Earlier this week, I caught up with a former colleague from my automotive days. We both joined Honda as the automaker constructed and ramped up its light truck operation in Alabama in the early 2000s. Like me, this week, she was busy planning for Manufacturing Day. In fact, today, she is hosting 300 students for plant tours and hands-on activities at the plant in Lincoln, Ala. We reminisced how nearly 20 years ago we helped implement similar activities for an education-to-work program for middle and high school students called “What’s Up in Factories?”
“We’re still trying to demystify the manufacturing field and connect it to learning, jobs, careers and opportunities,” she said. “Today, more than ever, it’s important we open our plant doors to students, teachers, and parents.”
She’s right. Manufacturing is, after all, the lifeblood of local, national, and global economies. We must turn on today’s middle and high school students to manufacturing. We must show them manufacturing offers a prestigious profession and a pathway for people to realize their dreams, as well as a track to prosperity for individuals, their families, and their communities.
We have a good story to tell.
- U.S. manufacturing workers earned $92,832 on average in 2020 (with pay and benefits).
- There were 834,000 manufacturing jobs open in July.
- By 2030, U.S. manufacturers will need to fill 4 million roles across diverse sectors and jobs.
There’s a place for everyone in manufacturing. Whether you’re good at making things, a devoted DIY-er, have skills in STEM, business, communications, or something else, you can find your niche in one of manufacturing’s many diverse sectors. Learn more about what manufacturing has to offer at www.ManufacturingUSA.com.
#MFGDay22 #MFGDay2022 #ManufacturingDay #CreatorsWanted #CreatorMakers
IACMI Members, Partners Taking Part in MFGDay22
Today and throughout October, many IACMI members and core partners are busy celebrating National Manufacturing Day. Be sure to follow our social media channels for updates as we share these stories and photos.
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IACMI-SuRF, Detroit
Located in the Corktown neighborhood of Detroit, the IACMI Scale-up Research Facility (SuRF) is teaming up with the SPE Foundation October 7 to host Ecotek Lab students in Detroit. Ecotek creates opportunities in science for middle & high school students.
Magnum Venus Products
IACMI-member Magnum Venus Products is partnering with IACMI in October to host high school students at its MVP facility in Knoxville. The students will get an up-close look at MVP’s operations to learn more about composites and participate in an “Ask an Engineer” session to explore careers in composites.
America’s Cutting Edge (ACE)
In October, many of the America’s Cutting Edge (ACE) machine tool training centers based in Florida, North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and West Virginia are conducting in-person workforce training sessions. ACE is a national, IACMI-led workforce initiative with the Department of Defense to restore the prominence of the U.S. machine tool sector.
