You know your students and children best. Maybe you have one who you believe could flourish in STEM. You’ve watched their skills development journey, and found them to be a curious person (always taking things apart and putting those things back together again) or technologically adept. Perhaps they work well in teams or are always looking for a more efficient way of getting jobs done.

Two Manufacturing Books to Encourage a Future in Manufacturing 

Here are two manufacturing books you can recommend to a teen you feel has a future in manufacturing, as a way of bridging that gap between young and old.

1. Stuff Matters: Exploring the Marvelous Materials that Shape Our Man-Made World by Mark Miodownik - this book explores the process of making everyday objects, like graphite pencils. The author tells the story of sometimes ordinary objects through a lense of storytelling and discovery. This book helps explain that everything we use comes from somewhere and someone, a craftsperson who shapes, creates, and perfects these objects with passion.
   
   
2. Faster, Better, Cheaper in the History of Manufacturing by Christopher Roser - this book is about the history of manufacturing, all the way from the stone age to present. Putting a manufacturing career in the context of a long history of human ingenuity, invention, and tenacity can make manufacturing more interesting and palatable. Your teen can learn how manufacturing has evolved over time, and how modern manufacturing fits into a long timeline of people creating useful things.

If your teen doesn’t enjoy long bouts of reading, try suggesting the Netflix show Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat for an in-depth look at the manufacturing process behind some insanely delicious foods.

The Adult’s Guide to Getting Teens Interested in Manufacturing

Available for free.