Are you hosting or attending a MFG Day event this year? We want to hear from you!
MFG Day is only one week away – officially Friday, October 1, 2021. It is an important effort to introduce students, educators, and the general public to your company and careers within the wood manufacturing industry. But MFG Day events can take place any time during October for Manufacturing Month! It’s not yet too late to post an event, but time is running out! Some MFG Day events even take place outside of October, and you are encouraged to post any student-focused outreach event on the MFG Day website, regardless of the date.
The following wood industry-related companies have listed their 2021 MFG Day events:
American Woodmark – a VIRTUAL event on their social media channels (Oct 1)
Armstrong Flooring – an in-person event in Lancaster, PA (Oct 1)
Gator Millworks – an in-person event in Denham Springs, LA (Oct 1)
Maple Landmark Woodcraft – an in-person event in Middlebury, VT (Oct 1)
Mastercam – a VIRTUAL event on their social media channels (Oct 1)
Pella Corporation – an in-person event in Shenandoah, IA (Oct 1)
Reborn Cabinets – TWO in-person events in Anaheim, CA – Oct 1 and Oct 6
Reborn Cabinets – an in-person event in Las Vegas, NV (Oct 22 – private event)
It is entirely free to list your event on the Creators Wanted MFGDay website, and this is the best way to ensure that schools can find your event and register or contact you to learn more.
If you want to attend an event: some in-person events are open to the general public – if you are in the area and interested in attending, be sure to reach out to the event host – their contact information will be on the MFG Day website event listing – and see if you can attend (and don’t forget to RSVP)!
While you determine what type of event you are able to do, reach out to your local schools to identify their availability and policies. You could offer a virtual “tour” and a “guest speaker session”, or if your local districts/schools are permitting off-campus events for students, consider an in-person plant tour (the most effective and powerful approach)! Some companies also incorporate other elements to their Manufacturing Day event, including:
— A presentation about your company, the types of positions available/needed, and what it’s like to work there (include some basic salary and benefit info if possible)
— A student-focused interactive project or activity – can they build or assemble something quickly and easily that represents what you do at your company or a particular process?
— Take-home goodies – this could be from the activity, or a material sample, or something that represents your company and is memorable!
— A “trade show” or “career fair” element – set up an expo area and invite your vendors to have tables to talk about their role in the industry and the types of positions they need filled as well. It’s important for students to understand the many segments of our industry! You can also invite neighboring companies or others within your network or community who are seeking talent to “exhibit”.
— Lunch or snacks – this should be determined based on the needs and policies of your local school and duration and timing of your event. For example, if you plan to host students during the lunch hour, lunch should be provided. Be sure to ask the school about COVID-related food considerations.
— Reach out to your local legislators, media, and City government (especially Workforce Development Departments) to ask how they would like to engage with the event or if they can provide resources.
The National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) and the Manufacturing Institute (MI) launched MFG Day in 2012 to promote careers in manufacturing. The Creators Wanted/MFG Day website features a searchable database of events taking place across the country. Each company host can publish their event on the MFG Day website (it’s free and easy!) and students and educators can search for in-person events in their area (and virtual events). According to the MFG Day website, in order for an event to qualify and be published on the site, it:
There is a significant skills gap in the manufacturing industry, and over 4 million jobs will need to be filled within the U.S. over the next decade (Manufacturing Institute). In the wood industry, this includes jobs like CNC machinist, operator, and technician, CAD designer, and production workers. Onsite events such as plant tours have proven to be one of the most effective and impactful ways to inform people about career opportunities.
According to Julia Asoni, Senior Director of Student Engagement at the Manufacturing Institute:
While Friday, October 1 is the official 2021 MFG Day, an event can take place ANY day in October or throughout the year! As you begin planning your event, first reach out to your local school (middle school, high school and post secondary) to determine their schedule and whether students are able to attend in person events this year. (In some areas, a virtual tour might be a better option if field trips and activities are not yet permitted.)
The Manufacturing Institute has developed a comprehensive resource site to help companies through the process of developing, planning and hosting an event. They also produced four webinars about different and important aspects of event hosting. Watch the webinars here:
MFG Day Webinar 1: MFG Day Intro and How to Get Started
MFG Day Webinar 2: Accessing Resources for Planning Your Event
MFG Day Webinar 3: Best Practices for Engaging Events
MFG Day Webinar 4: Host Messaging and Promotion Tips
If you have a relationship with a local manufacturer and don’t see an event listed, reach out to them and encourage them to consider hosting one!