Earlier this month, nearly 2,600 students from multiple local high schools boarded buses and visited one of 53 host sites taking part in Macomb County’s Manufacturing Day Week, which ran from October 3 through October 7. The annual event, which was coordinated by Macomb County Planning and Economic Development and the Macomb Intermediate School District (MISD), provided opportunities for students to tour area advanced manufacturing facilities and meet people who make things.
“Hosting Manufacturing Day is a crucial part of building a future workforce for industry in our region,” said Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel. “It connects young people with employers and shows them what types of careers are available in this field. And hopefully, it inspires them to consider professions within this arena when they’re finished with school.”
Hackel joined Dakota High School at a tour of TEMO, Inc. in Clinton Township. Founded in 1967, TEMO is the nation’s largest manufacturer of sunrooms providing high quality products to more than 150 authorized dealers.
"We were very excited to talk with students from Dakota High School about building their future careers. It’s very important for everyone to have a solid map of their life so they know where their life journey is headed – it’s never too late to start your map," said TEMO Founder and CEO Nino Vitale. "Growing TEMO is not only about building the company. It's about building our local community. We have been here for over 50 years. It's important to me that our growth has a positive impact on our employees and the community in which we all live."
All students participating in Manufacturing Day Week receive a 90-120 minute guided tour and some combination of the following:
- Briefing by a company leader who provides an overview of the company, the type of manufacturing they do and the customers they serve as well as info about employment opportunities.
- Smaller sub-tours that highlight different work areas and careers
- Opportunities for students to talk with employees and see the product life cycle in action
- Opportunities for students to see and touch the machinery, tools and products that are a part of the industrial workplace
These experiences help the students better understand what a career in advanced manufacturing might look like. The tours also provide benefits for the host sites in that they get the chance to promote their companies and interact with the next generation of talent. Several participating companies have even hired previous Manufacturing Day attendees that were interested in the field.
“We’ve seen real connections come out of our Manufacturing Day events,” said Vicky Rowinski, director of Macomb County Planning and Economic Development. “And given current workforce challenges, like talent shortages and other issues, our program is especially relevant. We’re helping create a pipeline that can supply workers and solve real problems facing our local businesses.”
Since 2014, more than 16,000 students have participated in Macomb County’s Manufacturing Day through the support of an active planning committee and the generosity of host sites and sponsors. Find a list of 2022 supporters and additional information at http://business.macombgov.org/Business-Events-ManufacturingDay.
