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MFG Day 2022 Set for October 7 By Meghan Ryan, NATM Assistant Director
Manufacturing Day (MFG Day), an initiative of the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), is set for Oct. 7, 2022, with events continuing throughout the month. MFG Day is a near-decade-long initiative that provides awareness of the industry and helps solve the workforce shortage that plagues manufacturing. Over the last few years, the trailer manufacturing industry has been increasingly vocal about workforce challenges, and MFG Day is the perfect way to be part of the solution. The initiative encourages companies and educational institutions across the country to open their doors to students, educators, parents, and their communities by hosting events or sharing information online. If you are interested in registering an event, visit www.creatorswanted.org/register-event. MFG Day also addresses the misconception that manufacturing industries are dark, dirty and dangerous. The greatest influence on perception is personal experience and providing opportunities for interaction between manufacturers and the community “helps show the reality of modern manufacturing careers,” says the Manufacturing Institute. MFG Day has a real, measurable impact on the public’s perception of the industry. Seventy-two percent of MFG Day participants believe manufacturing provides an interesting
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and rewarding career after the event. In addition, the hashtag #MFG20 had almost 95 million impressions. This is a fantastic opportunity to gain visibility for your company and mission as well as shape the public’s opinion of the industry. This is a chance for manufacturers to come together to overcome the collective challenge of the workforce shortage. The Manufacturing Institute can help with the planning and hosting of events such as tours, round tables, press conferences, educational and job fairs. When planning such events with the help of the Institute or on your own, it is important to consider how interactive you want the event to be and how big the audience is. These factors will inform what platform you use, such as Zoom or in-person events, and whether or not you want to introduce pre-produced content such as a tour of the facility. If you would like to give students the opportunity to interact directly with your company, you can partner with the Boys and Girls Club by reaching out to Partnerships@bgca.org or visiting www.BGCA.org. Initiatives like MFG Day are vital as the industry struggles to fill the 4 million manufacturing jobs that will be left open between now and 2030. For resources and information on MFG Day, visit www.creatorswanted.org/resources. There you can find marketing and hosting toolkits, information on MFG Day’s app, as well as on-demand webinars about MFG Day. ■
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