September 30, 2019
St. Charles County, Missouri — As Manufacturing Day 2019 approaches, the American Job Centers across Missouri and metro St. Louis are working together to celebrate and promote this popular event with special activities for middle and high school students, tours of local businesses, exhibitions and more. Held annually on the first Friday in October, Manufacturing Day helps show the reality of modern manufacturing careers nationwide by encouraging thousands of companies and educational institutions around the nation to open their doors to students, parents, teachers and community leaders.
“Manufacturing is still one of the leading career fields in metro St. Louis and accounts for more than $15 billion of total annual wages in Missouri,” says Scott J. Drachnik, Director of the St. Charles County Department of Workforce and Business Development. Drachnik also is the president of the Training & Employment Administrators of Missouri (TEAM) and the immediate past president of the St. Louis Regional Workforce Development Directors Association.
“National Manufacturing Day is a perfect way to help introduce the workforce of tomorrow to all the career and training opportunities in the manufacturing sector,” he adds. “Manufacturing is alive and well in our region, across Missouri and all over the United States.”
One of the region’s largest events will be held Tuesday, Oct. 1, with over 1,000 area middle and high school students at St. Charles Community College in Cottleville, followed by guided tours at 15 advanced manufacturing facilities in St. Charles County. The same is true in the Metro East with Manufacturing Day activities involving 1,000 students at the Granite City campus of Southwestern Illinois College on Friday, Oct. 4. Drachnik said other similar events are planned from Kansas City and Springfield and from Hannibal to Cape Girardeau.
“Along with large-scale events organized by Job Centers, schools and civic organizations, manufacturers around the region are holding special events to commemorate Manufacturing Day 2019 over the next week,” Drachnik says.
To learn more about Manufacturing Day activities in the region and across the nation, visit mfgday.com.