Help us Celebrate Manufacturing Day!
September 29, 2016Laura Taylor-Kale is the International Trade Administration’s Deputy Assistant Secretary for Manufacturing
Next Friday, October 7, manufacturers from across the country will open their doors to showcase exciting careers possibilities as part of this year’s Manufacturing Day (MFG DAY). The Department of Commerce and our partners at the Fabricators & Manufacturers Association International, the Manufacturing Institute, and the National Association of Manufacturers have seen tremendous excitement and growth since the first celebration in 2012. Last year, more than 400,000 people attended 2,400 events nationwide. Many of these events give students an opportunity to take a practical (and fun!) first step toward manufacturing careers and to see what modern manufacturing looks like.
As ITA’s Deputy Assistant Secretary for Manufacturing, I know that U.S. manufacturers are key contributors to the U.S. economy at home and abroad. A recent ITA report showed that total U.S. exports support more than a quarter of U.S. manufacturing industry employment and that the industries with the highest share of employment supported by exports are all manufacturing industries. The International Trade Administration helps U.S. companies take advantage of export opportunities by providing timely market intelligence, such as our Top Markets Report Series, and access to a broad spectrum of federal programs that can help manufacturers succeed in the international marketplace. Information on these programs can be found on our websites www.trade.gov and www.export.gov.
So join me, my ITA colleagues, and our industry partners on October 7 to celebrate American manufacturing and its impact on our local communities and the global economy. We encourage you to spread the message about Manufacturing Day and join the conversation on social media using #MFGDay16. We hope you will join us in this effort!
Tradeology, the ITA Blog 