An Eye Toward the Future: Oklahoma's Manufacturing Labor Pool

This breakout session at the 2011 Oklahoma Conference on Manufacturing addresses one of the country's most pressing challenges.

This impressive panel discussion will continue the themes discussed in Emily DeRocco's keynote address with a thorough examination of Career Pathways and other programs designed to maintain and improve Oklahoma's manufacturing labor pool. If you find workforce issues problematic, our panel of experts will help provide long-term solutions to age-old difficulties.

Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin has identified Career Pathways as a statewide "game changer." Developing a job-ready workforce is no longer just a high school, Vo-Tech, or college issue. By 2018, an estimated 57 percent of manufacturing jobs will require job-specific skills certifications. At present, 65 percent of the workers needed by 2025 are already in today's workplaces, so we must begin to address their skills training now in order for them to replace retiring baby boomers exiting U.S. manufacturing. Developing and implementing a career pathways strategy is of paramount importance in order to keep our manufacturing companies successful and growing. Thirty-two national manufacturing trade associations and professional societies have agreed to support "America's 21st Century Learning System" policy road map.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Oklahoma
• Manufacturing