RI’s Future in the Making: Manufacturing Day 2025

CommunityEventsHuman InterestEducationGeneral News Article

RI’s Future in the Making: Manufacturing Day 2025 Invites Students, Manufacturers, and Sponsors

Interactive career exploration event returns October 8th in Providence

Rhode Island’s next generation of makers will get a hands-on look at what a career in modern manufacturing can offer during Manufacturing Day 2025, hosted by Polaris MEP. Now in its fourth year, the event takes place on Wednesday, October 8, 2025, at Farm Fresh Rhode Island, 10 Sims Avenue, Providence.

Manufacturing Day (MFGDay) is part of the nationwide celebration of Manufacturing Month, held every October to inspire the talent pipeline and strengthen connections between students, educators, and industry leaders. Last year’s event introduced more than 350 local students to well-paying, in-demand careers in the state’s manufacturing sector.

Engaging Students in Rhode Island’s Future

School buses will bring 10th–12th graders for a “taste test” of manufacturing careers. At no cost, students will rotate through activity stations that let them:
  • Code a cobot
  • Reverse engineer a part using 3D scanning technology
  • Solve puzzles using Lean thinking
  • “Paint” fabricated metal via VR goggles
  • Build a tower by applying industry-standard decision-making processes
Through these hands-on experiences, students glimpse how manufacturing blends creativity, problem-solving, and innovation—while offering family-sustaining wages and growth opportunities.

A Call for Exhibitors and Sponsors

Local manufacturers are invited to host interactive stations to showcase their company and industry while sparking excitement among Rhode Island’s future workforce. Sponsors can also invest in the long-term vitality of the industry by supporting this event, ensuring participation remains free to schools.

Why it matters: Surveys of Rhode Island students before and after Manufacturing Day show powerful results year after year:
  • Increased awareness of manufacturing jobs by 15 points
  • Eliminated the perception that manufacturing lacks interesting and rewarding careers
  • Reduced the number of students ruling out careers in manufacturing
  • Boosted motivation, especially among 9th and 11th graders, to pursue a manufacturing career
“Manufacturing Day is transforming how Rhode Island students view our sector,” said Matt Watson, Polaris MEP Center Director. “For some, it sparks the first real interest in pursuing technical training or an apprenticeship. For others, it expands their understanding of what modern manufacturing looks like in the Ocean State.”

Event Details

What: Manufacturing Day 2025 Career Exploration Experience
When: Wednesday, October 8, 2025. Student sessions begin at 7:30am and run throughout the day.
Where: Farm Fresh Rhode Island, 10 Sims Avenue, Providence, RI 02909

Who Should Participate:
  • Schools: Reserve time to bring your students
Note: This event is not open to the public. Interested students should speak to their teachers or school administrators about attendance.
  • Exhibitors: Showcase your company through an interactive station
  • Sponsors: Support the future of Rhode Island’s manufacturing workforce
Registration forms and more information are available online: https://polarismep.org/event/manufacturing-day-2025/

Thank you to our current event sponsors!

Community Catalyst: General Dynamics Electric Boat
Powering the Pipeline: Nautilus Defense, New England Institute of Technology (NEIT), and Nordson EFD

About the Organizers

Polaris MEP is Rhode Island’s statewide non-profit Manufacturing Extension Partnership Center, an affiliate of the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (NIST MEP). Mission-driven, Polaris MEP provides competitive business improvement programs to help manufacturers achieve operational excellence and growth by expanding opportunities across the Ocean State.www.PolarisMEP.org
 

RI’s Future in the Making: Manufacturing Day 2025