Manufacturing Day, a worldwide effort to showcase opportunities in manufacturing, is set to be held in and around the first Friday of October.
Now in its seventh year, Manufacturing Day has the goal of changing public perception that manufacturing takes place in dark, dirty factories, and demonstrate firsthand what it looks like using today’s technology.
The National Marine Manufacturers Association is encouraging marine manufacturers to take advantage of the opportunity to highlight manufacturing specific to the recreational marine industry.
Deloitte, which became a sponsor of Manufacturing Day in 2015, began to measure the effects of the events held throughout October and how they were helping to shape public perception of manufacturing overall, according to the Manufacturing Day website.
According to Deloitte’s 2015 survey, 81 percent of students who attended Manufacturing Day events became “more convinced that manufacturing provides careers that are interesting and rewarding,” and that figure rose to 84 percent in 2016.
To provide context, 267,000 of the roughly 600,000 attendees in 2016 were students — meaning that nearly 225,000 students emerged from their Manufacturing Day events in 2016 with a more positive outlook on manufacturing careers.
Deloitte’s survey also showed that 71 percent of student attendees in both years said they were “more likely to tell friends, family, parents, or colleagues about manufacturing after attending an event,” indicating they had been inspired by the event, according to the website.
Finally, 64 percent (up from 62 percent in 2015) said they were more motivated to pursue a career in manufacturing based on the event.
Manufacturers can gather ideas for events at the Manufacturing Day website, and are encouraged to reach out to the NMMA if they need assistance including inviting local politicians to their events.
The social media tag this year is #MFGDAY19
