Manufacturing

Today is a big day, and not just because it’s Friday. Today, many employers are celebrating National Manufacturing Day, which falls on the first Friday of October. Today is a rallying point for employers in the manufacturing industry to come together and address collective challenges to help their communities and future workforce grow and thrive.

On National Manufacturing Day, America’s workforce celebrates the leadership and skilled talent of the manufacturing industry. This holiday has its origins in 2012, when Governor Chris Christie of New Jersey proclaimed the first Manufacturing Day. President Barack Obama signed a presidential proclamation for 2014’s National Manufacturing Day.

Manufacturing employers create products and develop technologies to enhance the competitiveness of America’s economy. Here in Austin, skilled trades and advanced manufacturing is one of the three key economic sectors of our region.

Workforce Solutions Capital Area is collaborating with several key stakeholders in our region’s manufacturing sector, including the Austin Regional Manufacturers Association (ARMA), to develop a strategy that simultaneously addresses the skill and hiring needs of manufacturing companies while also creating pathways to good jobs for Central Texas residents.

We developed an asset map of education and training programs located in the Austin-Round Rock MSA that are helping students and workers acquire the skills and credentials needed by our region’s manufacturing employers. It’s this kind of forward-thinking approach that makes celebrating the manufacturing workforce worthwhile.

Are you involved in Austin’s advanced manufacturing sector? How will you observe National Manufacturing Day? Tell us in a comment below!

Print Friendly, PDF & Email