Helping Student’s Get Up Close and Personal with Manufacturing Jobs.
Here at United Surface Preparation we don’t
manufacture anything, but the relationship we have with manufacturers is vital. Whether it’s the vendors that manufacture the products we sell or the buyers who manufacture with products they acquire from us, they are all part of what makes our company great. Because of this relationship, we make a point to be involved and support the manufacturing community.
One of the best opportunities to support the manufacturing community is on National Manufacturing Day, which is celebrated the first Friday of October. This year, October 6th marked the sixth annual celebration day. With over 2,840 events and a proclamation by President Donald Trump, it was a definite success!
Manufacturing Day is a time to celebrate modern manufacturing during which manufacturers invite their communities – including students, educators, business people, media, and politicians – to their facilities. This collective effort educates visitors about manufacturing career opportunities, improves the public perceptions of manufacturing, and illustrates the importance of manufacturing to the world economy.
History of Mfg Day
In 2012 National Manufacturing Day was established to raise awareness to the workforce shortage in manufacturing and changing the overall perception of manufacturing jobs. National Manufacturing Day was established in 2012 to foster knowledge about the economic impact of U.S. manufacturing and improve the public’s view of manufacturing careers.
Consider the following facts from the National Association of Manufacturing:
- the average annual salary of manufacturing workers in the U.S. is $77K
- manufacturing careers have the highest tenure in the private sector
- 90 percent of manufacturing workers have medical benefits
- STEM jobs are projected to grow by 8.65 million by 2018
- manufacturing offers diverse career options for all education levels
- the industry supports 17.4 million U.S. jobs
- every $1.00 spent in manufacturing creates $1.37 of wealth for the economy
- Nearly 12 percent of the nation’s GDP is from manufacturing.
Although there are amazing career opportunities, the response from the public has been less than enthusiastic. Many small to medium-sized manufacturing businesses are struggling to recruit young adults to replace their retiring workforce. Not only is there a problem recruiting younger adults, there is also a large gender gap occurring throughout the manufacturing industry. There has been difficulty recruiting women into the workforce due to the perception of it being a male-only field. This is why National Manufacturing Day is so necessary– it cultivates excitement and awareness about the industry!
Joining Pace Industries Celebration
This year at United Surface Preparation, 
we decided it was crucial to somehow get involved with a Manufacturing Day event. Because we don’t manufacture anything at our facility, it would have been difficult to host our own event. Instead, we decided to join together with some of our close friends at Pace Industries which is a full-service aluminum die casting, zinc die casting and magnesium die casting manufacturer.
Attending the event were high school students interested in manufacturing programs from Roseville High School and St. Francis High School. The students listened to a presentation from Pace discussing the different job opportunities available and their corresponding compensations, duties, education requirements, etc. The students also had the opportunity to tour the manufacturing facility and learn, hands-on, about the day-to-day work that occurs at Pace.
One of the unique characteristics of
Pace Industries is their emphasis on safety. They have a commitment to 24/7 safety that starts with each associate and extends to successful delivery of quality products and services to customers, as well as visitors, with no accidents. To help make sure the students and Pace both felt comfortable during their event experience, United Surface Preparation provided safety wear including safety glasses and earplugs. Other than simply donating material, we wanted to show students that there are a large variety of jobs in the manufacturing industry whether you are directly manufacturing a product or not.
Participating in a Manufacturing Day event this year allowed us to see first-hand the excitement it sparks in students and the potential it has to truly make a difference. We are both optimistic and confident that this annual event will lead the way in changing the portrayal of our industry and getting it the positive image it deserves. We are more than eager to partner with Pace Industries again next year and create an event bigger and better than ever!
If you have any questions regarding National Manufacturing Day or would like to find a way to get involved, please contact us.
