Guest blog post by Katharine Morgan, Executive Vice President of ASTM International

If my teenage son came up to me and said, "Mom, I think I want to have a career in manufacturing," I'm not sure how I would react if we were living in the 20th century.  But today, I'd say without hesitation, "Go for it!"

At ASTM International, we bring together industry experts and others to develop technical standards that support advances in manufacturing.  At the same time, we are making every effort to show how manufacturing is growing and changing in exciting new ways.  

In fact, over the past week, we supported two events that put a spotlight on how manufacturing is leading to good jobs that require increasingly high levels of skill and training:

First, we celebrated Manufacturing Day on Oct. 2 by providing transportation for about 250 students from 10 Philadelphia schools to tour nine local manufacturers.  The students' eyes were opened when they visited places like a biotechnology company that sells test kits that help reduce the risk of foodborne diseases.  

These students saw how a growing number of manufacturing jobs aren't "dirty jobs," destroying a myth that has been perpetuated too long.  Instead, these "smart manufacturing" jobs are often located in highly-controlled labs or "clean rooms."  

I was glad to hear that our Philadelphia activities were part of more than 2,000 Manufacturing Day events, including a visit from U.S. Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker to a manufacturer in nearby Delaware.

ASTM International's second major event in the past week was co-sponsoring a two-day conference at Penn. State University focused on additive manufacturing, also known as 3D printing.  The goal of the event was for organizations such as ASTM International to help bring more researchers and experts together to create technical standards for industries that are adopting additive manufacturing.

I believe strongly that high-quality technical standards in 3D printing can help innovation flourish – leading to lighter cars, safer planes, personalized medical care, and more.

Clearly, the message is getting out: manufacturing is cool again.

Let's all continue to work together to accelerate the growth of smart manufacturing, not only to make sure the next generation can pursue rewarding careers in this field, but also, overall, to help our world work better.

ASTM International is a nonprofit organization with more than 30,000 members who create and maintain technical standards that improve performance and safety across about 90 industries.  These consensus-based standards help improve the safety and performance of everything from children's toys to jet fuel.  Based in the Philadelphia area since 1898, ASTM International has offices around the world.