News and Events

Manufacturers, also called makers, are critical to our world. They create and power the things we use everyday, from the food we eat to the computer you're using to read this blog post. While our celebration of manufacturers continues all year, the rest of the nation primarily celebrates the importance of manufacturing during the month of October.

Manufacturing Day technically takes place on October 6, but events celebrating Manufacturing Day extend throughout October! You can find events near you here. Manufacturing Day is important - not just for celebrating those currently working in manufacturing, but also for showing students and job seekers what's possible in manufacturing. Many students (and even teachers and parents) still have an outdated view of manufacturing. They still might consider these careers to be outdated or unstable. In reality, robots are creating more manufacturing career opportunities than ever before while taking on the dull, dirty, or dangerous tasks. 

Check out some free resources below that you can use to learn about robotics careers in manufacturing or teach your students about these careers.

Download Hand-Outs

• Robotics Career Pathways in Manufacturing
• Infographic on the Skills Needed for a Robotics Technician Role
• Infographic on the Skills Need for a Robotics Specialist Role
• How to Create a Profile on RoboticsCareer.org

Download Videos

• Finding Training for a Robotics Career in Manufacturing
• Finding a Robotics Job in Manufacturing

Statistics & More Resources

• 2.4 million manufacturing jobs may go unfilled due to the skills gap - that translates to a lot of opportunity for those with manufacturing skills. 
• According to the National Association of Manufacturers, the manufacturing industry supports 17.6 million jobs in the United States.
• There are 16,700+ training programs in the U.S. that will give you the skills you need for a robotics career in manufacturing, and they're all listed on RoboticsCareer.org
• At any given time, there are well over 1,000 robotics jobs in manufacturing listed on RoboticsCareer.org
• Take a peek into real-life manufacturing jobs with Manufacturing USA's Modern Makers stories
• Explore our hundreds of blog posts talking about manufacturing careers
• On average, robotics jobs in manufacturing pay about 30% more than entry-level, non-robotics manufacturing jobs and require just slightly more training, although a high school diploma or GED is acceptable to many manufacturers. From the lens of the entry-level role in robotics, a robotics technician's salary is an average of around $50,000, significantly higher than the entry wage of non-robotics manufacturing roles. See the graphic below for more information about average salaries.