October Named CT Dream It, Do It, Manufacturing Month

EAST HARTFORD, Conn. – October marks the third annual Connecticut. Dream It. Do It. Manufacturing Month, officially proclaimed by Governor Dannel P. Malloy to recognize the importance of the manufacturing industry to Connecticut and to showcase manufacturing career opportunities statewide.

With advanced, computer-driven tools and streamlined, clean and brightly lit facilities, manufacturing today is more advanced than ever before. So, too, are the talents, skills and teamwork required of the next generation of Connecticut’s manufacturing workforce. During Manufacturing Month, Connecticut. Dream It. Do It. presents “Manufacturing Mania” at different locations around the state. The unique, by-invitation-only event is a day of activities designed to introduce middle school students and teachers to the wide variety of careers that today’s manufacturing offers. This year, three Manufacturing Mania events are set for two locations: The Aqua Turf Club in the Plantsville district of Southington on National Manufacturing Day, October 3; and two, back-to-back events at Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport on October 16 and 17.

“Since 2012, more than 900 students have participated in Manufacturing Mania,” states Sue Palisano, director of education & workforce development for Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology, Inc. (CCAT), which administers Connecticut. Dream It. Do It. and the Mania events. “These unique, interactive events give hundreds of middle school boys and girls a chance to learn what it takes to manufacture a product and how Connecticut-made products impact lives every day.”

At the events, students are introduced to manufacturing through team-based activities that replicate the manufacturing process.They experience the full production stream from concept to design to fabrication to quality control, see 3-D printing in action, and talk with many Connecticut manufacturers about advances in manufacturing technology and future career opportunities.

Throughout Manufacturing Month, tours of manufacturing facilities, open houses at colleges and the state’s technical high schools, and expos hosted by organizations such as the Aerospace Components Manufacturers and the Connecticut Women’s Education and Legal Fund, help Connecticut residents learn about manufacturing and the career pathways it offers statewide. The activities provide a foundation for students, schools, employees and employers to foster the next wave of Yankee ingenuity needed to make Connecticut manufacturing companies more innovative, more productive, and more competitive in the global market.

To learn more about Connecticut. Dream It. Do It., Manufacturing Month events and Manufacturing Mania go to www.ctdreamitdoit.com. Watch the video from 2013 Manufacturing Mania at http://youtu.be/-cSscvuLhWI.About Connecticut. Dream It. Do It.

Connecticut. Dream It. Do It. is part of a nationwide campaign led by The Manufacturing Institute to create a positive image of manufacturing today and to develop an awareness of rewarding manufacturing careers. Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology, Inc. (CCAT) administers the effort. Through partnerships with business, industry, education, economic and workforce development organizations statewide, Connecticut. Dream It. Do It. is taking the lead in enhancing Connecticut’s current and future manufacturing workforce pipeline. Visit www.ctdreamitdoit.com to see the growing list of Connecticut. Dream It. Do It. sponsors and partners.