The Buzzi Unicem USA, Cape Girardeau Cement Plant, participated in Manufacturing Day also in 2018. The event is targeted towards 8th and 9th graders, and offers a look into manufacturing opportunities and career pathways through interactive displays and presentations.

Manufacturing Day is an annual celebration of modern manufacturing during which manufacturers invite their communities, including students, educators, businesspeople, media, and politicians to their facilities in a collective effort to educate visitors about manufacturing careers and improve public perceptions of their industry. The event is designed to put an end to some common misperceptions about manufacturing, to address the skilled labor shortage, to connect with future generations, and to ensure the ongoing prosperity of the whole industry. This annual event is supported by many organizations around the country. The event is organized through the collaborative efforts of Mineral Area College, the Cape Area Chamber of Commerce, the Cape Girardeau Career and Technology Center and other local economic and workforce development agencies. In 2016 there were more than half a million participants in Manufacturing Day events throughout the United States.

The Southeast Missouri Regional Industrial Training Group (SRITG) is a major sponsor of the local event each year. The plant is an active member of the SRITG with Plant Administrative Assistant, Sarah Jenkins, volunteering her time as Treasurer for the group.  For the second time in three years SRITG asked the plant to create an exhibit focused on educating local 8th and 9th grade students on potential career opportunities in the manufacturing trades and the related skill training available through the SRITG, the local Career and Tech Center and other community resources.  For Manufacturing Day, Steve Sebaugh, Plant Quality Manager, designed a display of the cement plant operations highlighting the various jobs and skills required to effectively operate a cement plant, taking raw materials to finished product.  

About 200 students visited the cement manufacturing display to learn about the industrial skills used in making cement. The Buzzi Unicem display was recognized as one of the featured presentations of the day. The students seemed to most enjoy the interactive portion of the demonstration where they were given an opportunity to handle the raw materials and the cement products at various phases of the manufacturing process.  Sarah Jenkins was able to speak with several high school students and students from the Cape Girardeau Career and Technology Center about career prospects at the Cape Girardeau Plant.   

Manufacturing Day was well attended and proved to be a great success.  The Cape Girardeau Plant was asked to continue their support and participation in coming events. Due to the positive response plans are now underway to include more students and to showcase a larger group of manufacturing companies in the future.