Training, smart investment can revitalize manufacturing
Posted August 02, 2012 in Press Releases
Policy Matters Ohio will moderate a discussion on Monday, August 6, on solutions to help revitalize American manufacturing. The roundtable will bring together local and national experts to talk about creative solutions to the challenges facing manufacturers.
Policy Matters Ohio Executive Director Amy Hanauer will moderate the panel, which will feature:
- Rhandi Berth, vice president, Wisconsin Regional Training Partnership
- Bob Baugh, director, Industrial Union Council, AFL-CIO
- Tim Krueger, researcher, Policy Matters Ohio
- Shanelle Smith, senior coordinator, Ohio Blue Green Alliance; local director, Emerald Cities
Each of these experts will provide a unique perspective on manufacturing. Berth will describe how her organization has solved workforce problems facing manufacturers in the Milwaukee area and explain the Wisconsin Regional Training Partnership’s innovative approach. Baugh will discuss national and state-level strategies that strengthen manufacturing employment. Krueger will talk about solutions for manufacturing based on his work with researchers at Case Western Reserve University and the Brookings Institution. Smith, who works in Ohio to promote efficiency and renewable energy, will describe how Ohio is advancing these approaches.
“Revitalizing manufacturing in the Midwest is key to our state’s economy. Manufacturing as a whole pays higher wages, fosters more innovation, and contributes more to environmental sustainability than most other sectors,” Hanauer said.
The roundtable discussion is part of a two-day conference sponsored by the Nathan Cummings Foundation, the Open Society Foundation, the Ohio Organizing Collaborative, ISAIAH (a Minnesota-based organizing collaborative), the Center for Community Change, and Policy Matters Ohio. The conference will examine regional economic strategies, alternative ownership structures, and the role of community organizers in economic debates.
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