How Manufacturing Day 2019 Can Inspire Your Students

Career and technical education (CTE) is a hot topic right now in K–12 education, with lots of high-demand careers open to students that don’t have the requirement of a four-year degree. School and district leaders are recognizing this and looking for more ways to offer engaging career training programs for students who aren’t interested in going to college. One of the best ways for schools to support these students is by helping them discover their interests while they’re still in middle or high school through exposure to different industries and career paths. Promoting Manufacturing Day (October 4, 2019) in your school is a fun and cost-free way to introduce students to varied and rewarding career options in one of the highest-demand sectors in our economy.

What Is Manufacturing Day?

Manufacturing Day, held every year on the first Friday of October, is a nationwide day for manufacturing shops to open their doors to students, teachers, parents, and other members of the community. Manufacturing professionals take this day as an opportunity to showcase the industry’s diverse range of career paths, including welding, tool and die making, CAD modeling, CNC programming and machining, and more.

How Can Manufacturing Day Benefit Middle and High School Students?

According to Deloitte, nearly 4.6 million manufacturing jobs will need to be filled by 2028, and 83 percent of manufacturing executives reported that they would pay above market rate wages to attract qualified workers, especially in areas hard hit by the labor shortage. Yet, many students cited a negative image of the manufacturing industry as a primary reason for not pursuing a career in the field.   

Manufacturing Day’s mission is to change these negative perceptions. In 2016, 84 percent of student attendees reported being more convinced that the industry provides interesting and rewarding careers. Sixty-four percent reported that the Manufacturing Day event they attended made them more motivated to pursue a career in manufacturing.

How to Get Involved

Interested in getting your students involved in a Manufacturing Day event near you? Check out the national list of Manufacturing Day events and open houses. Most events take place on October 4, but some locations are hosting events throughout the month of October. And, if you can’t find a physical event close enough to your school, there are virtual field trip options too.

Looking to offer your students more career and technical education (CTE) course options to help them get a better idea of which career fields are a good fit? Check out Edmentum’s library of over 50 CTE courses, including Principles of Manufacturing!