24 S T U F F • N e w H a m p s h i r e , 2 0 1 7
Manufacturers are opening up their doors and working with
voke/tech schools to dispel the notion it is a dirty industry
Cleaning up misunderstandings
BY SARAH CONNELL
M
anufacturers contributed $2.8 trillion
to the economy last year, so why does
Generation Z view manufacturing as
a notoriously bleak industry?
The National Association of Manufacturers (NAM)
reports that, "Over the next decade, nearly 3.5 million
manufacturing jobs will likely be needed, and 2 mil-
lion are expected to go unfilled due to the skills gap."
According to the Pew Research Institute, Gen-Z
accounts for more than 25 percent of America's popu-
lation, and has just begun to enter the job market.
Unfortunately, manufacturing is often misunder-
stood in America. Zenagui Brahim of the New
Hampshire Manufacturing Extension Partnership
wants to change that.
"We need manufacturers, kids, parents and schools
working together to dissuade people from the old
perceptions that manufacturing is unsafe or dirty," he
says.
In order to bridge the gap between students and
employers, NAM has instituted a National
Manufacturing Day in October, which the state of
New Hampshire has wholeheartedly embraced. Last
year, Brahim stretched the celebration to an entire
