Microsoft Celebrates Manufacturing Month with Official Sponsorship of MFG Day Event

The Manufacturing Institute, the workforce and education partner of the National Association of Manufacturers, announces Microsoft, an official national sponsor for MFG Day 2020, will host a flagship event on October 28 at 4:00pm ET. Launched annually on the first Friday of October, MFG Day is a flagship initiative of the workforce development and education partner of the National Association of Manufacturers, The Manufacturing Institute (MI). MFG Day shows the reality of modern manufacturing careers by encouraging thousands of companies and educational institutions around the nation to host events for students, parents, teachers and community leaders. Because of the unique challenges that this year poses, MFG Day 2020 will be like no other by being celebrated virtually throughout the month of October, Manufacturing Month.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has reaffirmed for all of us the importance of modern manufacturing in our lives—from making masks, gloves and hospital equipment to researching vaccines and treatments, from producing our food supply to developing the electronics that make remote learning and work possible. In the coming months and years, it will be modern manufacturing that leads our recovery and renewal. This year’s MFG Day is a uniquely powerful opportunity to bring awareness to the high-paying, rewarding and meaningful career opportunities in our industry all October long,” said Manufacturing Institute Executive Director Carolyn Lee. “Across the country, manufacturers are saying, ‘Creators Wanted.’ We have hundreds of thousands of jobs to fill—and will have millions more over the coming decades. MFG Day will open minds to what’s possible with a modern manufacturing career.”

To celebrate MFG Day, Microsoft will host the final flagship MFG Day event on October 28 called: Creators Wanted: Empowering a Diverse and Sustainable Manufacturing Workforce with Microsoft. The event will feature a keynote fireside chat between Jacky Wright, Chief Digital Officer at Microsoft US and The Manufacturing Institute’s Executive Director Carolyn Lee. They will be joined by special addition Debra King, Senior Vice President, Chief Information Officer for Corteva Agriscience™. The virtual event will also include a panel discussion on the skills required for a modern manufacturing workforce and the unique role that data, artificial intelligence, remote work and sustainability play in the future of manufacturing.

“Along with the National Association of Manufacturers and all our manufacturing clients, we are excited to celebrate Manufacturing Month together. This is our largest annual opportunity to inspire the next generation about the industry and dynamic careers in modern manufacturing,” said Tracy Galloway, US Vice President of Manufacturing, Microsoft. “Over the next decade, 4.6 million manufacturing jobs will need to be filled in the United States alone. As a National Sponsor, the Manufacturing Team at Microsoft is proud to join the #CreatorsWanted movement to fill the skills gap and inspire a diverse workforce with intelligent and data-driven manufacturing.” Since its founding in 2012, MFG Day has been the keystone manufacturing education and awareness day that gives manufacturers the unique opportunity to address the skills gap, connect with future generations of talent, reframe the public perception of what modern manufacturing is and ensure the ongoing prosperity of the industry as a whole.