WORCESTER, MA – With a state median wage averaging nearly $70,000, the importance of attracting future generations to an aging industry workforce will underscore National Manufacturing Day (MFG DAY) events in the Worcester area on Oct. 1 and 2.
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As the rallying point for a growing Massachusetts movement, Manufacturing Day empowers manufacturers to come together to address their collective challenges so they can help their communities and future generations thrive.
The Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce and its affiliate Chambers are encouraging area school administrators and guidance counselors to help kick off MFG DAY on Thursday, Oct. 1 with its “Made in Central Mass. – Manufacturing Matters” invitation-only panel discussion at the Beechwood Hotel on Plantation Street in Worcester from 4-5 p.m. followed by a reception. Media are cordially invited to cover an expert industry panel discussing key challenges and successes in local manufacturing. Panelists will include Keith A. Poirier, Environmental, Health & Safety Manager of Bonded Abrasives & Superabrasives at Saint-Gobain Abrasives; Bill DiBenedetto, President of the Lampin Corporation; and Leslie Parady, Workforce Development Manager at MassMEP. A Q&A session will follow the panel discussion.
Despite a strong local manufacturing base, the Mass Manufacturing Extension Project (MassMEP) believes Massachusetts is facing a critical shortfall in skilled workers. Statewide, manufacturing companies in 2014 had a nearly 67 percent increase in jobs created, 71 percent increase in the number of new hires, 63 percent increase in sales and 79 percent increase in cost savings. Manufacturing in Worcester was the strongest sector in comparison to Boston, as reported in the most recent census. Across Worcester County, 31,279 people were employed in manufacturing, and nearly 10,000 people had city-based manufacturing jobs.
However, that workforce demographic is entering a critical phase. “By 2020, there will be 100,000 people leaving manufacturing [in Massachusetts] because they’ll be aging out,” says Timothy P. Murray, Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce President and CEO. “Even if we didn’t add jobs, we need to expand the pipeline.”
National Manufacturing Day on Friday, Oct. 2 will also provide an opportunity for manufacturers to highlight their work, praise employees, and empower future skilled workers. It is an occasion during which manufacturers open their doors to showcase the potential of modern manufacturing and foster interest in manufacturing careers. Educators, media and the general public are also invited to meet with area manufacturers as they host public tours and open houses in and around the city.
For more information, please contact Stuart Loosemore at sloosemore@worcesterchamber.org. or call (508) 753-2924.
For more information about the national effort, visit: www.mfgday.com
