Manufacturing Day 2015 helps change perception of industry

Manufacturing Day^SM 2015, including all events scheduled throughout the year, has far exceeded expectations of scale and impact, reaching more than 400,000 participants and improving the public’s perception of manufacturing.

A Deloitte perception survey, developed in collaboration with The Manufacturing Institute, Washington, D.C., was distributed to more than 2,500 manufacturing hosts across the U.S. to gather national data from teachers, students, and parents on how Manufacturing Day events truly make a difference in local communities. The survey found that after attending Manufacturing Day events, 81 percent of student respondents are more convinced manufacturing provides careers that are both interesting and rewarding, and 71 percent are more likely to tell friends, family, parents, or colleagues about manufacturing.

“The co-producers of Manufacturing Day could not be more pleased with the results of the 2015 celebration,” said Ed Youdell, president and CEO of the Fabricators & Manufacturers Association Intl. (FMA), Rockford, Ill., one of the co-producing organizations. “Our goal, when we created Manufacturing Day just three years ago, was to bring manufacturing into the mainstream. We wanted to showcase this important sector of the American economy and introduce young people to the career options and exciting work environments manufacturing offers.”

Ninety percent of educators responding to the survey indicated they are more likely to encourage students to pursue a career in manufacturing.

Manufacturers responding to the survey also expressed positive feedback regarding their participation in Manufacturing Day. Ninety-four percent found there was value in participating in the event, and 88 percent are more likely to continue engaging with high schools or colleges in their area.

For Manufacturing Day 2015, a total of 2,620 events were held in all 50 states, Canada, and Puerto Rico. Based on data collected from host company evaluations, more than 225,000 students and 55,000 parents, teachers, and other attendees participated in these live events. Twelve virtual events helped even more people participate; the Discovery Education and Alcoa online program reported the largest participation of any single event, with more than 120,000 students.