Manufacturing Day in Macomb County: Connecting students to real careers

Manufacturing Day is one of those events that really shows what makes Macomb County special. Every year, our team at Macomb County Planning and Economic Development helps organize a week of tours where local manufacturers open their doors to high school students. It's a chance for students to see what modern manufacturing looks like, explore career options, and hear directly from the people who make it all happen.

What makes Macomb County's event unique is that it isn't just one day. We extend it into a week-long celebration of manufacturing so that more schools and businesses can take part. Over the course of the week, 73 tours took place across 69 different companies, giving nearly 2,000 students the opportunity to experience manufacturing firsthand. Expanding the event allows us to reach more classrooms, more communities, and more future talent.

Throughout the week, students from schools across the county visited different companies. Each stop gave them something new to experience, whether it was advanced machinery, food production, or beauty product development. What stood out the most were the stories. Many of the employees the students met didn't take a traditional path to get where they are. Hearing how they built their careers showed students that there's more than one way to succeed in manufacturing.

One of the visits was to Ethel's Baking Company. Here, students got a behind-the-scenes look at food manufacturing. They suited up in the proper gear such as hair nets, gloves, and even beard nets for a few, and walked the floor to see how Ethel's gluten-free desserts are made and packaged. They also took part in some of the process, which gave them a real sense of what it's like to work in a facility like that.

Another stop was PCS Company, a local business that specializes in creating molds for plastic injection manufacturing. The students who attended were studying engineering, so this visit hit home for them. They saw CNC machines in action, learned about mold design, and heard how the work they were seeing connects to what they're learning in school. The best part was realizing that jobs like these can pay just as well as some white-collar careers, all while building real products right here in Macomb County.

The last company I visited was Merit Manufacturing, which focuses on beauty and personal care products. They're the team behind some of the lotions and hair products you've probably bought at Target. Students learned how these products are developed, manufactured, and packaged for retail. What made this tour unique was the company culture. Merit places a strong focus on community and long-term growth for its employees. It wasn't just about production. It was about people.

Manufacturing Day in Macomb County continues to highlight the strength and diversity of our local businesses. It gives students the chance to see the many paths available in this field and to realize that manufacturing isn't just part of our history. It's part of our future.

Here at Macomb County Planning and Economic Development, we know that when our businesses succeed, our communities succeed alongside them. Events like Manufacturing Day help us plan for the future by investing in the next generation of talent. Our future is rooted in our children, and we're proud to support them by connecting schools, businesses, and communities across the county. Supporting opportunity, growth, and collaboration is what we're all about. If you would like to be a part of Manufacturing Day or any other project, please reach out to Macomb County Planning and Economic Development.