A worker in Copiague welds an aluminum enclosure support frame.

A worker in Copiague welds an aluminum enclosure support frame. Credit: Newsday/John Paraskevas

Long Island manufacturers will host local high school students from 31 school districts this month with the goal of introducing students to career paths they might not have otherwise considered.

Long Island Manufacturing Day will include factory tours and two events showcasing the industry. The first will be held Oct. 11 at the Cradle of Aviation Museum in Garden City from 3-6 p.m. with a second event planned for Oct. 19 at Suffolk Community College in Brentwood from 3-6 p.m.  

After the Suffolk event, students will be able to visit the Advanced Manufacturing Training Center at Suffolk County Community College, which offers programs including welding and industrial automation. The events are the local version of the national Manufacturing Day, which takes place annually on the first Friday in October.

Thirty local manufacturers, including those in the aerospace and pharmaceutical manufacturing sectors, will host booths at the event to discuss career opportunities with students, teachers and parents. Some will also offer plant tours, including Ronkonkoma-based East/West Industries, Precipart in Farmingdale and CPI Aero in Edgewood, among others.  Students can also reserve one-on-one appointments during events this month.

The manufacturers hope to engage more students this year by holding events in both counties and maximizing the amount of time students are able to roam the event space to visit booths, said Tom Mariner, part of the management team at Long Island Manufacturing Day and executive director of LIBIO, a group representing local biotech and medical device companies.

Mariner said he hopes students take away that the manufacturing industry on Long Island has more to offer than just working in fabrication of products.

“It’s not just putting things together,” he said. “It’s the discovery, the prototyping, the putting it together and then the whole company … If you want to do marketing, quality, regulatory, we’re here.”

There are about 3,000 manufacturers based on Long Island, with about two-thirds located in Suffolk County, according to the county’s Industrial Development Agency. There were 70,500 employees at Long Island manufacturers in August, which is up about 1% from the same month in 2022, according to the state Department of Labor. In August 2000, employment in the industry was 106,100.

Bob Vecchio, executive director of the Nassau Suffolk School Boards Association, said local school districts have placed more of an emphasis on technical education in recent years, and Long Island Manufacturing Day gives students exposure to potential careers that can keep them living and working on the Island long term.

It also helps make educators “aware of what the workforce needs of tomorrow are going to be, so they can help their students today,” he said.

On the latest episode of "Sarra Sounds Off," Newsday's Gregg Sarra interviews Massapequa baseball coach Tom Sheedy and sends a tribute to Chaminade lacrosse coach Jack Moran.  Credit: Newsday/Steve Pfost

SARRA SOUNDS OFF: Interview with Massapequa's Tom Sheedy  On the latest episode of "Sarra Sounds Off," Newsday's Gregg Sarra interviews Massapequa baseball coach Tom Sheedy and sends a tribute to Chaminade lacrosse coach Jack Moran.

On the latest episode of "Sarra Sounds Off," Newsday's Gregg Sarra interviews Massapequa baseball coach Tom Sheedy and sends a tribute to Chaminade lacrosse coach Jack Moran.  Credit: Newsday/Steve Pfost

SARRA SOUNDS OFF: Interview with Massapequa's Tom Sheedy  On the latest episode of "Sarra Sounds Off," Newsday's Gregg Sarra interviews Massapequa baseball coach Tom Sheedy and sends a tribute to Chaminade lacrosse coach Jack Moran.

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