Since 2015, Allegion has participated in Manufacturing Day, which is an annual collaborative effort among U.S. manufacturers, supported by industry organizations like the National Association of Manufacturing (NAM), to educate the general public about manufacturing. Allegion traditionally uses the entire month of October to host students, teachers and community officials through our U.S. operations for “MFG Day” events, including in-person tours and discussions regarding manufacturing careers today.
While Allegion looks forward to hosting these individuals in our facilities each year, the health and safety of our nearly 3,000 U.S. manufacturing employees is of the upmost importance, and we knew it would not be possible to hold in-person events due to the ongoing pandemic.
However, also knowing that much of our industry has been deemed “essential,” there is no doubt a need to inspire future talent. So, rather than miss out on Manufacturing Day altogether, we saw it as an opportunity to reimagine how to not only continue engaging students this year, but to further expand our reach.
For the first time ever, we hosted eight 100% virtual events for our local operations in Cincinnati, Ohio / Chino, California (a combined event for our Steelcraft Operations); Indianapolis, Indiana; Security, Colorado; McKenzie, Tennessee (hosted two events); Snoqualmie, Washington; Olathe, Kansas; and Princeton, Illinois.
Each of our participating facilities invited local schools, media, government officials and even suppliers to attend live Microsoft Teams events. During the events, attendees went on a virtual tour of Allegion’s plants across the U.S., heard first-hand experiences from Allegion employees in a variety of stages of their careers and learned about the many fulfilling career opportunities available in manufacturing today in an employee panel discussion. We want students, families, educators, leaders and our communities to know:
- Manufacturing is essential.
- There are many vibrant and valuable jobs and development opportunities in manufacturing.
- We invest in our manufacturing footprint and our employees.
- At Allegion, our work matters – and every voice matters, too.
Many events also featured storytelling and advice from special guests, such as Allegion CEO Dave Petratis or Cindy Farrer, vice president, global operations and integrated supply chain. In reflection of this year’s events, Cindy says, “I am thrilled that Allegion is taking a leadership role in encouraging the next generation of manufacturing employees through participation in the annual Manufacturing Day events sponsored by NAM. This year, our sixth year to participate, was a huge success, even considering the need to hold our sessions virtually. I could not be prouder of our manufacturing team members who participated and shared their experiences and insights. With manufacturing skills and employee needs on the rise, Allegion’s participation in efforts like this is critical.”
Did you miss the 2020 Manufacturing Day live events? You can watch them now on Allegion’s YouTube channel.
