How to Participate Virtually in MFG Day 2020
Manufacturing Day, and the month-long celebration of the industry it kicks off, will be very different this yearnow that we can’t tour factories, technical schools and morein person. But manufacturers can still do their part to show parents, teachersandstudentswhat careers in today’s advanced manufacturing really look like—via virtual programming.
In advanceofthis year’s ,Oct.2, The Manufacturing Institute—the workforce and education partner of the 51Թ—held a webinar to help manufacturers plan virtual events. Below is a quickrecap.
³should manufacturers do?Don’t worry, many MFG Day hosts are still figuring this out. First, you can reach out to local associations and regional groups to see if there is an existing event that you can co-hostorparticipate in.Second, you canconsider partnering with other manufacturers in your area or industry to produce a virtual event.
If you choose to host your own virtual MFG Day event, here are a few suggestions that will make it a hit, courtesy of Manufacturing Institute Senior Director of Youth Engagement Julia Asoni and51ԹAssistantVice President of AdvocacyMichael O’Brien:
- Providea welcome message from senior leadership.
- Offer an overview of the importance of manufacturing to the economy in your community.
- Lay out what your company doesand give participants a senseof its career offerings.
- Film a video tour of your facility toshow viewersthe technology and tools you use every day.
- Record interviews with employees or a conversation with a panel to allow young people to hear directly from thepeoplewho work at your business.
- Create a survey to track how the event changes your audience’s perceptions of manufacturing—for example, asking participants about their interest in a manufacturing career both before and after your presentation.
Examples from the field:During the webinar, arange of manufacturersand partnerspresented their plans for MFG Day:
- Allegionwill feature a full virtual experience planned through Microsoft Teams.Itwill provide a mixture of live and pre-recorded content,and will localize every event to ensure it’s most relevant to local students, said Allegion Reputation Management Leader Whitney Moorman.
- Boeingcollaborated with external partners like high schools,collegesand community organizations to create an effective virtualprogram, saidBoeing Senior Workforce Specialist JustinMcCaffree.Its event willinclude videos of employeesexplaining their jobs and performing specific tasks, virtual tours ofthe company’sfacilities,and videos from manufacturing interns and students. It willalso offerstudents the opportunity to dovirtual informational interviewswith Boeing employees.
- Gracois postponing its regular MFG Day programming to spring 2021 in hopes of providing an in-person experience that will involve hands-on learning—including stations that allow participants to control robots, build keychains with lasers and learn about quality control, said Graco Corporate Communications Team Leader Charlotte Boyd. It may also attempt to do virtual events this year that could include sending kits to students and information to parents.
- ABBisworking withEdgeFactor, which develops content for educators,to createa five-day virtual program thatshowcasesscience, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics,according to ABB Vice President for Marketing Communications Tracy Long.This willinclude on-demand content about each of those five disciplines as well asabout“soft skills” like teamwork.
- NWIRCdeveloped a monthlong program geared toward 6th–12thgrade students in northwest Pennsylvania. It includesa digital activity packetand the opportunityto win prizes from NWIRC forworksheets and articles, said NWIRCMarketing Communications Specialist Laurie Knoll.
- Click Bondis in the early stages of developing content for a virtual experience. It isplanning aninteractive website that includes career testimonials, virtual maps and how-to videos about machines and technology, according to Click Bond Corporate Communications Manager Danielle Costella.
You canseea recording of the webinar.