Mark Your Calendar for Manufacturing Day 2015

Manufacturing Day is on October 2, 2015, and FLATE in partnership with its industry partners and regional manufacturers

associations are committed to making Manufacturing Day another successful event—one that has already placed Florida on top of the chart, on a national level. This year FLATE is once again taking the lead in organizing 2015 Manufacturing Day events across Florida. Manufacturing Day celebrations will kick start on October 2, but like many states across the country, Manufacturing Day industry tours and celebrations will continue through till the end of October to maximize impact and outreach across the state. Through this statewide effort and in cohesive partnership with industry and regional manufacturers across the state, FLATE is committed to increasing awareness of high-tech, high-skilled, high-paying jobs that are available in Florida.

Planning for various industry tours and events for students, educators and the community at large is already underway. “Here is a day to replace mystery with awe and excitement – to show a whole new generation of kids how cool manufacturing is – and an opportunity to show their parents the exciting kind of work that takes place in manufacturing plants” said Dr. Marilyn Barger, executive director of FLATE. As part of the fourth-annual Manufacturing Day on Oct. 2, an estimated 2,000 events is set to take place in factories and plants across the country. Here in Florida, FLATE will coordinate Made in Florida Industry tours across the state on Manufacturing Day and throughout the month of October.

There are several ways and opportunities for industry, regional manufacturers associations, school districts, educators, students

and the community at large to get involved/engaged in manufacturing day. Companies and regional manufacturers associations can host/coordinate a Made in Florida tour for students and educators. Others can sponsor a luncheon for students who are visiting the industry site, or buy Manufacturing Day in Florida T-shirts that sponsors, industry hosts, educators and students can wear during and after the tour.

FLATE’s ongoing efforts are focused on leveraging the promotion of the national organization and its efforts, and amplify its work nationwide using best practices implemented in Florida, and create a common platform to encourage increased participation in Manufacturing Day 2015. Manufacturing Day 2015 is also targeted to build in-roads between manufacturers, Regional Manufacturers Associations, educators and students, and geared to stir interest and/or change perceptions about manufacturing on a national level. Through cohesive partnerships with industry, educators, regional manufacturers associations and the community at large, FLATE hopes to drive a spike in the number of “Made in Florida” industry tours for students and once again position Florida as the national leader in hosting manufacturing day events and industry tours. 

FLATE invites anyone interested in inspiring others to ’Join the Movement’ and engage manufacturing stakeholders in Florida and across the country to celebrate Manufacturing Day. For information on regionally coordinated Manufacturing Day 2015 news and events, visit the Made In Florida page at www.madeinflorida.org/manufacgturing-day. To sign up for the tours, or request information fill out the information request form at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/?sm=IZEWmh1Ty7bqUudodegC%2bg%3d%3d. For information on national manufacturing day events/news visit www.mfgday.com. You can also email Dr. Marilyn Barger, executive director of FLATE at barger@fl-ate.org/813.259.6578.