Sandwiched between Labor Day and Halloween is an important celebration you probably didn’t know about: Manufacturing Day. An annual open-house event held on the first Friday in October throughout the United States, Canada, and Mexico, Manufacturing Day highlights modern manufacturing and excites students about career opportunities in this re-emerging industry.

Last Friday, there were over 2,000 manufacturing tours throughout North America, 156 tours in California, and 14 tours in Fremont alone to celebrate Manufacturing Day. These companies showcased “how things are made” to students, teachers, job seekers, and other interested community members. This is the third year in a row that the City of Fremont has facilitated broad participation from companies and schools alike. Each year the number of manufacturers hosting tours and the number of attendees has increased in Fremont. Below are fun facts from “#MfgDay15”.

Fremont’s Manufacturing Day Quick Facts

  • This year’s roster of education partners included Fremont Unified School District, DeVry University, Northwestern Polytechnic University, and Ohlone College, with outreach occurring to students, teachers, professors, and parents.
  • Participation has increased 100 percent since 2013, when Fremont had just three companies participating in Manufacturing Day. With 12 companies participating is 2015, there is little doubt of the growth and excitement being generated, and the strong desire of this sector to build a robust workforce pipeline.
  • Two hundred people attended Manufacturing Day tours in Fremont.
  • Fremont companies accounted for nearly 10% of all manufacturing tours in California.

Manufacturing Day is helping change the perception of manufacturing-based careers from dirty, grimy, and declining to clean, computerized, and cool. Even though it will be another year before Manufacturing Day, if you are interested in participating in a tour next year, send me a message below!

Be sure to check out the accompanying slide show of this year’s Manufacturing Day tours in Fremont. The interaction with technology, the smiles, and the intermixing of business and education speak volumes about the importance of this event.