Stanley Black & Decker Invests in the Future of Manufacturing with Maker Month
By Roya Sabri
Originally published by TriplePundit
This October marks the second year of Stanley Black & Decker’s Maker Month, 31 days of various programs that invite students to explore creativity, design and connection. This year’s activities include an innovation challenge for grades 9-12 student teams, trade and vocational scholarships, and networking events for students to learn more about careers in manufacturing.
The Fortune 500 giant specializing in tools, household hardware and security products hopes these initiatives will engage 45,000 people in 2019 alone. By 2030, the company hopes to inspire 10 million “makers.” Why 10 million? That’s the number of manufacturing jobs that remain unfilled worldwide because of a lack of qualified workers.
“There is a skills gap that needs to be filled,” Abigail Dreher, director of public affairs at Stanley Black & Decker, told TriplePundit in an interview. “We want our employees to thrive, and we want the next generation to be able to excel as it comes into this field.”
