February 6, 2008

To Infinity..... and Beyond

Disney's Buzz Lightyear has been an enduring character since his debut in Toy Story. One reason for his appeal: he believes in himself and that he can actually become a true space ranger. He's also a hi-tech figure in an age when technology has us all riveted. Some even say he was inspired by astronaut Buzz Aldrin.

Buzz wouldn't believe all the technological changes since he first hit the screen, and many of us real live adults are trying to keep pace with YouTube, MySpace and Facebook. Keeping up with where young people find their information and interact with each other is moving at lightyear speeds.

Still, Buzz is a very aspirational figure and so is Dream It. Do It., the premier careers and economic development website which is geared to show young people about careers in manufacturing. And Dream It. Do It. has just stepped into this new world of social networking. This week, Dream It. Do It. (DIDI) has been relaunched on an updated 2.0 platform. Morover, it includes all the major social networking sites. Click on DIDI's website above and see how easy it is to migrate straight to any three of these sites where our sons, daughters and grandchildren flock daily.

If you haven't been following DIDI since it was launched in Kansas City a few years ago, it's worth a look. It is operating in ten cities and regions now, from Puget Sound in the northwest to the newest site, the whole state of Virginia. Communities embracing Dream It. Do It. are commiting themselves to a transformation whereby they will reach out to young people in their cities and towns to demonstrate why getting a skilled education can be a good career move. The focus on human capital strategies is increasingly one of the most important economic development tools and will only increase in importance in the decade ahead as fully half of the U.S. manufacturing workforce reaches retirement age and has to be replaced.

Dream It. Do It. communities are giving themselves an incredible advantage over others because they have the commitment to educate their young people in careers AND the foresight to work with local schools, community colleges, universities, technical schools and community officials to meet these goals.

Posted by Bill Canis at 9:27 AM | Click here to comment | Send to a Friend

October 24, 2007

A Future for Manufacturing in Baltimore and Beyond

A fine piece in today's Baltimore Sun, profiling a young man making the most of his skills, training and opportunities at local manufacturer (and great NAM member), Marlin Steel Wire Products. From "No college required for high-paying jobs":

Reginald Priester II was going to work in a shoe store for $6 an hour after he graduated from high school in 2005. Money made college problematic, and any job was looking pretty good. Then he found that the global economy was ready to bid much higher for the drafting and math skills he learned at Edmondson-Westside High.

Today he's a designer for Marlin Steel Wire Products, making close to $30,000 a year, plus retirement and health care plans. He figures he can double that in a few years.

This could be you, high school students, if only society were better at allocating talent. For the right people, there still are good factory jobs that don't require a college degree. If you're proficient at math, like machines and don't feel like beginning your career with $30,000 or $60,000 in college debt, pay attention. Some vocational career tracks will take you further than you think.

We might quibble with a point or two here, thinking that the reporter might have better drawn the distinction at requiring a "four-year college degree." Two-year degrees from technical or community colleges are very important educational programs, conducive to productive careers in manufacturing. That said, there are also good, focused training programs that certify students who gain specific knowledge or skills.

But in any case, the essential point is one we endorse entirely: Manufacturing provides great opportunities for young people who acquire good technical skills. Thanks to the Sun, Marlin Steel Wire and Reginald Priester for make the case so clearly.

Posted by Carter Wood at 2:49 PM | Click here to comment | Send to a Friend

October 22, 2007

Trade and Manufacturing from the North Country

Governor Tim Pawlenty and a delegation of Minnesota business representatives are in India this week, and a Star-Tribune reporter is along on the trip. (Good for the paper.) Today's story, and a very thorough one, "This trade mission is about jobs, jobs, jobs":

AGRA, INDIA - As crowds swirled past, Gov. Tim Pawlenty lay on the ground to capture just the right photo of the Taj Mahal's crisp white spires Sunday before climbing back into his tour bus to begin a dash across India, his fourth international trade mission and his seventh overseas effort since taking office nearly six years ago.

For Pawlenty, the trip, which will also take him to New Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore, comes against the backdrop of a slipping job market in Minnesota that has put the state behind the national average for joblessness for the first time since statisticians started keeping track decades ago.

NAM President John Engler met with Governor Pawlenty a few weeks ago and trade mission was a major point of conversation. As the NAM's Frank Vargo tells the Strib:

Frank Vargo, international economist for the National Association of Manufacturers, called Pawlenty's trip "very well-timed."India is just cutting its trade barriers now," he said. "So Indian companies are more interested than ever in buying foreign products. India is becoming less protectionist, and the markets are growing. It's a hugely important mission."

And a piece from last weekend, "Minnesotans seek business as India's economy leaps," noting that 300 million Indians are in the middle class.

Meanwhile, business continues in Minnesota, and this is Minnesota Manufacturers' Week. A great lineup of events and speakers, including a keynote address by Jamie P. Estrada, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Manufacturing at the Department of Commerce. We especially appreciated this one:

Jeffrey Scherer, Chief Financial Officer of Smeal Fire Apparatus Company based in Nebraska , will discuss a model program called “Dream It! Do it!” to attract workers and students to manufacturing careers in partnership with the National Association of Manufacturers.

The link above is to the Nebraska page of the Dream It. Do It. site. Here's the main link.

Posted by Carter Wood at 1:43 PM | Click here to comment | Send to a Friend