SANFORD - Central Carolina Community College's Innovation Center will participate in National Manufacturing Day on Friday, Oct. 6.

An open house will be held from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at The Dr. Paul Howard and Dr. Barbara James Innovation Center, 5825 Clyde Rhyne Drive, Sanford. Closed toe shoes are required.

Manufacturing Day has been designed to expand knowledge about manufacturing careers and manufacturing's value to the United States.

At this event, representatives from local industries will be on-site to showcase their companies and products and help increase manufacturing awareness. Discover what is made in the community, learn about available manufacturing careers, and the skills and education needed to qualify for those careers.

Confirmed participants include Arauco, Caterpillar, Coty, Frontier Spinning, GKN, Magneti Marelli, Mertek, Pfizer, Static Control, and STI Polymer.

"National Manufacturing Day is an opportunity for high school students to learn about the products our local industries produce, but also to explore the career pathways available to them," said Cathy Swindell, CCCC' Director of Industry Services. "Want to be an engineer? There's a place for that. Like working on things, using your hands? Maintenance is a high-demand, high paying career. Are you business-oriented? Find your path in sales, customer service, or purchasing. Like to work with people? You can do anything from working in teams to solve problems to managing departments."

The Dr. Paul Howard and Dr. Barbara James 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.

Why is manufacturing so important in the Central Carolina area?

"Manufacturing is critical to our local economy and provides 460,200 jobs to North Carolina (2015 stats); average wages are 33% higher than those in other fields," said Swindell. "As technology increases, manufacturing employees with advanced skills are in high demand. Most of those jobs require a two-year degree or less (specific credentials) and training and education can be found at CCCC. On October 6th, come learn about manufacturing and discover what it takes to find your place."

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

To schedule your group's visit, contact Patrick Kelly, CCCC Assistant Director of Student Outreach, at (919) 718-7347 or at pkelly@cccc.edu.

For event information, contact Cathy Swindell at (919) 718-7212 or at cswindell@cccc.edu. For more information on Central Carolina Community College, visit www.cccc.edu.