Evanston will host a series of events Friday for local students and manufacturing professionals, aimed at teaching the community why manufacturing jobs are important for the economy.

In celebration of National Manufacturing Day, the city plans to inform locals about manufacturing as a growing career field, as well as about the many employment opportunities that are still available.

The scheduled events will be relevant to all community members, including teachers, parents, customers and suppliers, according to a news release from the city.

About 90 students from local middle schools are invited to tour a variety of Evanston businesses Friday morning, such as manufacturers that produce desserts, metal stamping and optical glass, to learn how they operate. The students will also be able to learn from manufacturing professionals about the various job opportunities at each place.

Events for National Manufacturing Day are scheduled in more than 1,500 locations, spanning across 49 states, D.C., Puerto Rico and three provinces in Canada, according to its website.

President Barack Obama, along with U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker, will visit a steel service in Indiana on Manufacturing Day, according to a news release from Manufacturing Day.

The day is sponsored and supported by dozens of manufacturing organizations both nationally and regionally.

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