“Manufacturing Day is all about inspiring the next generation about careers in manufacturing,” said Maria Zardis, Coordinator of Macomb County’s Manufacturing Day program. The last few weeks have been hectic for Southeast Michigan leaders as they prepare for Manufacturing Day 2016. This year – on October 7 – about 4,000 students from the region will get to see and experience a modern manufacturing facility.
Manufacturing continues to play a huge part in sustaining Southeast Michigan’s economy. While the percentage of manufacturing jobs has fallen from about 20% to 14% of all jobs, it still provides more than 250,000 jobs in the region.
Manufacturing Jobs as a Percentage Share of Southeast Michigan’s Total Jobs, 2001 and 2014
| 2001 | 2014 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| County | # of Jobs | % of Jobs | # of Jobs | % of Jobs |
| Livingston | 8,918 | 21.2% | 7,839 | 16.3% |
| Macomb | 93,657 | 32.3% | 70,040 | 25.6% |
| Monroe | 9,684 | 25.8% | 5,287 | 14.8% |
| Oakland | 100,917 | 14.4% | 61,573 | 9.5% |
| St. Clair | 9,978 | 23.4% | 7,540 | 19.9% |
| Washtenaw | 26,708 | 19.8% | 14,024 | 11.3% |
| Wayne | 141,432 | 19.3% | 84,205 | 13.8% |
| Southeast Michigan | 391,294 | 19.8% | 250,508 | 14.1% |
On September 22, Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel and Macomb Intermediate School District Superintendent Michael DeVault hosted representatives from 57 manufacturing businesses and 21 local school districts to finalize plans for about 70 tours on Macomb’s Manufacturing Day, one of the largest in the nation.
Kellie Dobek, from Fisher Dynamics in St. Clair Shores, noted that hands-on experience has been positive in getting students excited them about manufacturing careers. Claire Brisson from Chippewa Valley Schools noted that for some students, “manufacturing was not even on their radar…but their future pathway may be shaped by Manufacturing Day.”
Left to right: John Paul Rea, Director of Macomb County Planning and Economic Development; Mark Hackel, Macomb County Executive; Naheed Huq, Talent & Economic Development Manager; and Michael DeVault, Macomb Intermediate School District Superintendent Michael DeVault.
On September 23, Wayne County Executive Warren Evans addressed a room packed with business, education, and government officials about the importance of manufacturing to the county’s future. “Manufacturing Day takes kids into the real world to see what is out there for them,” he said, “especially where life experiences have not shown them that opportunities are available.”
At this event, hosted by Henry Ford College in Dearborn, College President Stanley Jensen spoke about the many programs the college has developed for manufacturing careers. These include the top-ranked Early College Program in Michigan. Dearborn Mayor Jack O’Reilly described the importance of partnerships with business and education to create the future workforce. Education leaders such as Alycia Meriweather, interim Superintendent of Detroit Public Schools Community District, and Randy Liepa, Superintendent of Wayne RESA expressed support for their schools and students participating in Manufacturing Day. Wayne County’s Manufacturing Day Event is coordinated by Lisa Gordon of the Workforce Intelligence Network with support from many partners including SEMCOG, Wayne County, SEMCA Michigan Works, DPSCD, Wayne RESA, Schoolcraft College, and Henry Ford College.
Left to right: Warren Evans, Wayne County Executive; Kathleen Lomako; and Khalil Rahal, Wayne County Economic Development Director.
Left to right: Lisa Gordon, WIN Program Coordinator; Alycia Meriweather, DPSCD Interim Superintendent; Randy Liepa, Wayne RESA Superintendent, Marion McGhee, Interim Executive Director DPSCD Administration for Adult Education.
Oakland County held its company orientation on August 30. Forty-one manufacturing businesses will host 375 students from Oakland Schools Technical campuses, as well as Michigan Advanced Technician Training (MAT2) students from Oakland Community College, and robotics teams from four district schools. The county works closely with its institutions of higher education to ensure that students have information on what educational programs are needed for success in manufacturing careers.
Manufacturing Day 2016 is Friday, October 7. Lots of hard work has gone into making this a meaningful event. Help support these events in your community by recognizing the good work of the many partners and participate wherever you can.
Use these hashtags on your Manufacturing Day social media posts.
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