Committee Connection

Manufacturing Day During a Pandemic

One of SMI’s strategic goals during the past few years has been to engage in programs to help increase awareness of the industry in an effort to recruit future workforce participants. One of the key initiatives has been to encourage SMI members to participate in Manufacturing Day (MFG Day), which is held annually in October.

MFG Day 2020 is forging ahead, but it could look a lot different this year due to COVID-19. That was the message that emerged from a webinar on MFG Day 2020 that was held in June and led by Julia Asoni, senior director of youth engagement for the Manufacturing Institute (MI).

Asoni started her presentation by highlighting the continuing need to fill 4.6 million manufacturing jobs between now and 2028. Due to a shrinking talent pool, she said manufacturers will continue to struggle to fill the 2.4 million jobs that are currently unfilled.

In-Person, Virtual or Hybrid Events

Recognizing that across the U.S. there are differences in facility and school status at the regional, state, district and school level due to COVID-19, Asoni advised that manufacturers should seek guidance from their local departments of health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and area school districts. Depending on where you are located, Asoni said there is the potential for hosting both in-person and virtual events, or a hybrid of the two.

Creators Wanted

Serving as the new online home for MFG Day, CreatorsWanted.org is designed to provide resources for

Julia Asoni

manufacturers who need help hosting a virtual event. It is also the site where manufacturers can register their event and to download a new MFG Day logo that was unveiled earlier this year.

Back in February, the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) and MI, the workforce and education partner of the NAM, unveiled their “Creators Wanted” campaign, an unprecedented, nationwide effort to reshape America’s perception of manufacturing and confront the industry’s growing skills gap.

By 2025, the impact of “Creators Wanted” aims to reduce the skills gap in the United States by 600,000, expand the number of students enrolling in technical and vocational schools or reskilling programs by 25 percent and increase the positive perception of the industry among parents to 50 percent, from today’s 27 percent.

Chrys Kefalas, vice president of brand strategy, also participated in the webinar. He encouraged manufacturers to share the “Creators Wanted” message with students, teachers, parents, and other key audiences. He said manufacturers should build off these key messaging pillars:

Modern manufacturing is creating the future, with creators rallying to our nation’s need, making a difference, and aiding the country and the world’s response to COVID-19.

America Will Always Need Creators

By 2028, manufacturers will need to fill 4.6 million jobs.

Kefalas also advised manufacturers to share stories on social media of creators who are passionate about their manufacturing careers, using the hashtags #MFGDay20 and #CreatorsWanted.

He also encouraged manufacturers to engage with @TheMfginstitute and @ShopfloorNAM on Twitter; the Manufacturing Institute and NAM on Facebook and LinkedIn; and @ ShopfloorNAM on Instagram. “We can amplify your content,” remarked Kefalas.

He also said, “Capture photographs and videos of in-person or virtual MFG Day events and encourage participants to share their experiences.”

For more information and to register your MFG Day 2020 event, visit CreatorsWanted.org. n