If we want to attract today's youth to manufacturing careers, we
need to change their perceptions about what the manufacturing
industry is like and show them what great career opportunities
exist in the industry. If more people would watch TV programs
such as How it's Made and Made in America, they would soon
realize that manufacturing has changed for the better -- it's
cleaner and higher tech compared to what it was a generation or
two ago. In a blog article, Derek Singleton, ERP Analyst for
Software Advice, wrote, "This means reacquainting youth with the
process of designing and building products from an early age --
and then providing the creative freedom to build those things on
their terms." He shared two examples from industry and suggested
a third: - Manufacturing summer camps: A recent New York Times
article highlighted an innovative summer camp, called Gadget
Camp, where teenagers learn how to build things from concept to
creation. Attendees are required to design a product through
computer-aided des