The Erie, Pa.-based Manufacturer & Business Association (MBA) plans its premiere workforce development event, Manufacturing (MFG) Day 2019, for Oct. 9 to promote the industry to middle and high school students from the northwest region of the state.
“The primary purpose of Manufacturing Day is to help fill the work pipeline by getting middle school and high school students to explore the many opportunities in manufacturing,” John Krahe, president and chief executive officer of MBA, told Pennsylvania Business Report.
The association recognizes — and often hears from its members — about the statewide shortage of skilled workers, Krahe said, brought on by a booming economy that has led to a growth in manufacturing, just as many skilled, long-term manufacturing employees hit retirement age.
In fact, according to the MBA, more than 10,000 positions remain unfilled in the industry across Pennsylvania due to the lack of a trainable workforce.
The MBA’s MFG Day aims to attract young people who the association hopes will consider the nation’s manufacturing sector for opportunity, professional growth and long-term jobs.
“Manufacturing is a great career that has life-sustaining wages,” Krahe said. “It’s an economic engine both for the state and the country, so it’s critical.”
He added that MFG Day is one of the main efforts of the association “to focus on how exciting it is to be in manufacturing and the true opportunities that exist.”
“What’s really exciting is that manufacturers have always known about the industry’s opportunities, but they really haven’t been good at getting the word out about those opportunities,” explained Krahe. “So, while we may have understood the opportunities, people weren’t pursuing or getting excited about it.”
Such opportunities run the gamut, Krahe said.
For instance, someone might want to earn a four-year college engineering degree to get into a specific manufacturing position. At MFG Day, they can learn about the different types of engineering fields they might enter, including mechanical, industrial, automotive, biomedical, and heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC).
And outside of higher education, students may opt for on-the-job training opportunities and certificate programs to become a machinist, welder, fabricator, aircraft mechanic, chemical plant operator, electronic technician, or production manager.
The manufacturing job title list goes on and on.
“At the Manufacturing Day event, we are really trying to expose students to a variety of things,” Krahe said. “In a hospital, it’s evident what a nurse and doctor do in their professions, but people don’t get the chance to go into a manufacturing facility unless they’re on a tour. So, we’re showing them, here’s what goes on in one of those buildings.”
The MBA also offers more than 60 professional training classes, as well as nine certificate series programs, which include Leadership for Team Leaders, Supervisory Skills, Marketing and Communications or HR Essentials. Class participants and certificate-series graduates work in a variety of industries, such as manufacturing and health care, as well as service and government-related fields throughout the association’s membership area.
“Knowledge is power and our member employers recognize that the pursuit of knowledge on a continuous basis is what will help differentiate them and their employees from the competition,” said Krahe.
The MBA’s MFG Day gathers more than 2,000 middle and high schoolers, teachers, administrators, policy leaders, and industry advocates to explore numerous high-tech exhibits and interactive demonstrations, including 3D printing, robotics, drone technology, and CNC machining, a manufacturing process in which pre-programmed computer software dictates the movement of factory tools and machinery. The process can be used to control a range of complex machinery, from grinders and lathes to mills and routers.
“It’s a hands-on event that includes welder simulators, robots and high school kids talking with each other about their robotics programs,” Krahe said. “It’s high energy.”
Event attendees also may sit in on breakout sessions and tour area plants to interact with a variety of industry experts as they learn about the high-paying jobs available in a variety of manufacturing industries.
Along with the MBA, sponsors of the Oct. 9 PA MFG Day include the Northwestern Pennsylvania Chapter of the National Tooling and Machining Association, Channel Lock, Northern Pennsylvania Regional College, National Fuel, Career Street, PHB Inc., Widget Financial, Welders Supply, and Curtze Food Service, among many others.
“Manufacturing Day is only possible due to the tremendous support from our members who partner with us to develop the industry leaders of the future,” said Krahe, adding that the MBA is proud to coordinate the event, but is more excited “about how this is truly a community event.”
“We literally have students attending from schools across five counties,” Krahe said, extending thanks to the educators and parents who see the event’s value enough to take kids out of school to attend it.
He added that the MBA’s government affairs team also will continue to advocate with administration officials and lawmakers for their support on workforce development policies.
For example, the MBA supports requirements for the Pennsylvania Department of Education to establish an inventory of workforce development programs offered at secondary and post-secondary institutions to coordinate state-level career exploration and workforce development opportunities.
And the association would like to see a Career and Technical Education (CTE) Investment Incentive Program created to encourage private investment in CTE and to support businesses that make contributions to CTE and partnership organizations.
The MBA’s MFG Day also coincides with National MFG Day, which this year is commemorated on Oct. 4. To view a list of other Pennsylvania-located MFG Day events, visit here.