Greenville, SC – It may be the best career opportunity many young people have never considered: Manufacturing. It’s back and its nothing like it was decades ago. To get that message out, a coalition of manufacturing advocates created MFG Day. At hundreds of locations around the nation on October 5, manufacturing employers and educators will be sharing a very compelling story.
Case in point: It’s projected that nearly 3.5 million manufacturing jobs in the United States must be filled over the next decade, but only about 1.5 million people will possess the necessary skills to do the work. What remains is widely known among manufacturers as the “Skill Gap.”
What is not widely known is that these jobs even exist. There’s an irony to all of this. While most people believe a strong manufacturing sector is vital to economic growth, they no longer consider it a viable career option. They are unaware that advanced automation and robotics have allowed America to regain its competitive foothold.
While an individual factory may no longer hire thousands of employees, the hundreds they do employ are highly-skilled professionals who work in mechanized, clean environments, integrating and maintaining robots and automated systems.
They earn a solid income. Average entry-level compensation for manufacturing engineers is nearly $60,000. For manufacturing workers overall in the United States, it’s more than $77,000 (Manufacturing Institute).
From 9:30 am to 1:30 pm on Wednesday, October 5, ECPI University’s Greenville campus - located at 1001 Keys Drive – will host employers and industry supporters who will welcome nearly 200 Upstate high school students for a full day of activities and education. Attendees will have a chance to:
- See game changing technology in action such as robotics, automation, replicators, 3-D printers, and more
- View demos, displays, and manufacturing exhibits
- Learn how to gain the skills required to work in the manufacturing field
“They’re going to be impressed,” says ECPI University Greenville Campus President Karen Burgess. “When people get a close look at modern manufacturing, they discover an environment that is ideal for this technically-oriented, computer-savvy generation. They find that manufacturing is no longer a dirty, back-breaking job. Today’s advanced manufacturing facilities are modern marvels, clean environments filled with skilled professionals operating all kinds of mechanical, electronic, and computer-based systems.”
MFG Day Employers and Participants:
