Above: Students listen to manufacturing career opportunities at a Brithinee Electric booth during the 2017 MFG Day at California Steel in Fontana.

Colton, CA – Students will visit regional manufacturing plants on National Manufacturing Day, Friday, October 5, 2018. Local factories and training colleges are getting ready to showcase the rewarding career opportunities available in advanced manufacturing. With the goal to inspire students and their parents to consider makers careers, Manufacturing Day addresses many common misperceptions about what manufacturing jobs are like.

On-shore manufacturing is seeing growth and the need for skilled workers is providing new opportunities for great jobs. Students who enjoy working with their hands have multiple new options for training and careers that pay well, right here in the Inland Empire.

All levels of skills are needed including engineers and chemists, designers, welders, and programmers and technicians for robotics and additive manufacturing.

According to NAM, there are currently nearly 500,000 open jobs in manufacturing in the United States.  As manufacturing in the U.S. continues to grow, the workforce crisis is expected to get worse.  In the next 10 years, an estimated 3 ½ million manufacturing positions will open.

The typical worker in U.S. manufacturing earned over $84,000 annually in 2017 including benefits. (Source: Bureau of Economic Analysis and Bureau of Labor Statistics)

For every $1.00 spent in manufacturing, an additional $1.89 is added to the economy presenting the highest multiplier effect of any economic sector. And for every employee hired in manufacturing there are four more employees hired elsewhere in the region. (Source: NAM calculations using IMPLAN)

The impact of manufacturing on the economy may be even higher than that, with some estimates that the total multiplier effect accounts for one-third of the GDP and employment.

In the Inland Empire, manufacturers, colleges, and trade schools are opening their doors. Manufacturers and trade schools will be offering tours and information about their plants and training. Some manufacturers who are unable to open to the public, due to security and/or safety issues, are joining together to display at regional events hosted by colleges.

To find an event near you visit www.mfgday.com and click on “Find an Event” to enter your city. Most event locations require pre-registration, so be sure to register early. Turnout is expected to be high.

MFG Day is a national celebration held every first Friday in October. Founded in 2012, it is now produced annually by the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), with support from the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s (NIST) Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP).

The Manufacturing Council of the Inland Empire (MCIE) is a non-profit organization that supports and provides education on manufacturing topics to manufacturers, employees, students and the community. Visit www.mfgcouncilie.com for more information.