The Why Axis: Submitted by Patricia Holton
- Mar 28
- 2 min read
“Manufacturing is the backbone of the U.S. economy. It provides jobs, fosters technological advancements and ensures the stability of countless supply chains.
When asked to give my story regarding my career decision to work in manufacturing, I did what any normal person living in the 21st century would do, I asked Google for help. The above words were Google’s explanation of what manufacturing is. However, manufacturing is that and so much more.
I’ve worked in various sectors of the business world during my career (transportation, distribution, service & manufacturing). That said, when I was searching for new jobs, I based my research on past jobs. What was I happy and proud to be doing? I found that the industry I wanted to work in most was manufacturing. Why do I say that? It’s because manufactured products are part of our daily lives. I focused my job search based on that decision.
When working in manufacturing, employees get to be hands-on and experience the excitement of producing products that are an integral part of everyday living! That small contact being produced might be used in a refrigerator, stove, furnace or car. As an example, on a refrigerator there is a door switch that activates the light to go on when you open the refrigerator door. What you don’t see is the contact making the connection that triggers the light go on by opening the door. Someone produces that contact. We don’t realize a component is being used to make the product work because we don’t necessarily see it. We take these things for granted and don’t think about what goes into making something work or who produces them. We just expect things to work.
These are some of the reasons I became part of the MCC Manufacturing Pathways Consortium. People see buildings and names of companies along the routes they travel and might wonder what those companies do. The consortium is one way to introduce communities to companies, especially the youth of our community who may not have any idea of what manufacturing is and how it affects their daily living. An example of that is from our intern from last Summer, Chris. He stated to one of our supervisor’s, during his first few days with the company, that “he didn’t know that this industry even existed”.
Introducing youth to manufacturing early can promote a spark or interest that they might not have considered previously. It is my understanding that schools are now trying to get students to commit earlier and earlier to a career path. Without knowing what manufacturing is, how can youth even consider it as a career path? There are so many options available for high school grads to consider in choosing a career path. Manufacturing is no longer the dirty dingy workplaces of the past. Most are modern and have computers, robots and AI. Manufacturing is the place to go to work with your hands, use your mind and work with electronics. "
