SANFORD - Over 650 people - many of them students from high schools in the region - came to Central Carolina Community College's Innovation Center on Friday, Oct. 2, to participate in National Manufacturing Day.

Manufacturing Day has been designed to expand knowledge about and improve general public perception of manufacturing careers and manufacturing's value to the North Carolina economy.

"National Manufacturing Day at the Innovation Center was a huge success," said Cathy Swindell, CCCC's Director of Industry Services. "Manufacturers in attendance were very complimentary of the students. They were impressed with the questions asked and the interest students had in the products. I personally heard some students saying things like, 'I didn't know they did that here!' That validates the whole purpose of National Manufacturing Day - to give high school students and the general population an opportunity to learn about what our manufacturers do and to see possibilities for future careers. Many of our showcase industries have already told us to sign them up for next year."

"Manufacturing Day is special because of the people we are celebrating - America's manufacturers," said Pamela Fincher, CCCC Industry Services Assistant. "While the most productive in the world, U.S. manufacturers are challenged with a growing gap in skilled labor.

"Our ultimate objective is for young students attending to be inspired to pursue manufacturing careers," said Fincher. "My hope is that the Innovation Center's contribution to this national effort will spark interest among our youth and start conversations in our communities."

Gary Hart, Career Technical Education Director with Lee County Schools, said, "I think it's so very important for our students to attend because at this age they're exploring their opportunities. So the more information they have, the better they are to make decisions for the future."

"For me, it's exciting to see the kids being excited about manufacturing because we need them to learn more about manufacturing because they would be our workforce for the future and it's good for them to see modern manufacturing versus their grandfather's manufacturing and understand how cool it could be to actually work in that industry," said Joy Thrash, CEO of Sanford Area Growth Alliance. "Manufacturing is 30 percent of our workforce, so for us it's very important for the community and we continue to want to grow that. We're not going to settle for 30 percent, but we need that workforce and it starts in the middle school and high school to get them thinking about manufacturing."

Representatives from local industries were on-site to showcase their company/products and help increase manufacturing awareness. Participants included Caterpillar, Coty, Edelbrock, Floorazzo Tile, Frontier Spinning Mills, GKN Driveline, Gould and Goodrich, Heatmaster, International Precast, Magneti Marelli Powertrain USA, Mertek Solutions, Olympic Steel, Red Wolf, This End Up Furniture, and Warren Oil.

Tyesha White, of GKN Driveline, said of the event, "I think it's great. This is awesome. There are a lot of students and they've had really great questions and a true interest."

Scott Michaels, of Heatmaster, said Manufacturing Day helps to show those who attend what the company manufactures here in North Carolina. "We're proud to be made in America and even more proud to be made in North Carolina," he said. "It allows us to show what our industry is all about."

Among the visitors for the day was N.C. State Rep. Brad Salmon, who noted, "I was very impressed with the level of excitement around here today. Our local manufacturing companies were on full display showing off their products and exposing area high school students to good jobs right here at home. The partnership between industry and Central Carolina Community College is a strong asset for economic growth in our area."

The Innovation Center is a world-class training center for industrial innovation. Facilities include a simulated work environment, a fully-outfitted welding lab, an instrumentation lab, as well as additional classroom space.

Central Carolina Community College's Industry Services office works with industries in Chatham, Harnett, and Lee counties to maximize success through quality workforce training.

For more information on Central Carolina Community College, visit www.cccc.edu.