Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. will connect with more than 10,000 students during Manufacturing Day events hosted throughout October. This is the second year the tiremaker will be involved with the events, which are part of the National Association of Manufacturers’ (NAM) and Manufacturing Institute’s (MI) Dream It. Do It. Program.
“If we want students to think about a career in manufacturing, we need to help them understand how exciting and technology-driven today’s manufacturing industry really is,” said Brenda Harmon, Cooper’s chief human resources officer. “There is an entire generation of young people who have been steered away from manufacturing or at least not encouraged to explore working in manufacturing. As a result, many good jobs, which may or may not require a college or technical degree, go unfilled at American manufacturers, including Cooper. We are working to change this dynamic starting with young people at the ages where they are forming their impressions of what they may want to do and where they may want to work.”
Cooper will participate in events in communities where the company has major facilities — Findlay, Ohio; Texarkana, Ark.; and Tupelo, Miss. In addition to participating in community-wide efforts, the company will host its own Cooper Manufacturing Experience events.
While Manufacturing Day is officially Oct. 7 this year, the Cooper Manufacturing Experience will be offered to students throughout the entire month.
The Cooper Manufacturing Experience will feature hand-on activities planned by a committee at Cooper who interacts with students all year long. Events are planned in Findlay on Oct. 4-7, in Texarkana on Oct. 17-19 and in Tupelo on Oct. 4-6 and Oct. 11-12.
