With 20 percent of our state’s employees working in manufacturing, Wisconsin boasts the highest concentration of manufacturing jobs in the country. We also have the most to win or lose if we don’t collectively address the ongoing need for a robust, skilled workforce.
That’s why I was pleased to participate in a recent meeting of Wisconsin manufacturing and educational leaders hosted by the Deputy Secretary of the United States Department of Commerce, Dr. Rebecca Blank. The Deputy Secretary was here to discuss ways public policy can support and promote the type of education that’s needed to close a growing “skills gap”.
But the meeting was a reminder to me that perhaps the biggest gap we have to close isn’t just in our skills, but also in our collective thinking.
Represented at the meeting were some of Wisconsin’s leading biotechnology and biosciences businesses – industry sectors for which the importance of a well-educated, innovative workforce is widely understood. However, what many people may not realize is that, even for the more traditional manufacturers that are the backbone of our state’s economy, highly skilled workers are crucial.
In virtually all sectors of manufacturing, our country’s ability to compete effectively with low-labor-cost countries like China and India requires advanced technologies and materials, sophisticated software systems and controls, and some of the world’s most knowledgeable and experienced engineers. These are among the reasons manufacturing is leading our economic recovery today.
That’s where we’re winning…for now. But when you look ahead, the news isn’t all good.
The United States is grossly behind the rest of the world in driving students into STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) higher education programs. Only 12 percent of our students graduate in STEM-related fields, compared to 25 percent in China and 27 percent in Korea. Perhaps even more alarming, 37 percent of our STEM graduates leave the U.S. to return to their native countries, armed with knowledge from our world-renowned educational systems. And these are the same increasingly scarce skills all U.S. manufacturers need to remain competitive in the global marketplace.
Wisconsin has long been looked to as an industry leader. So how are we taking action to confront this pressing problem? Here’s just one example. As chairman of the Waukesha County Business Alliance’s Manufacturing Steering Committee, I’m excited to report that we’re partnering with the Wisconsin Technical College System to bring the National Association of Manufacturers’ “Dream It. Do It.” program to our state.
The goal of “Dream It. Do It.” is twofold: to increase awareness among our young people that they can fulfill their dreams of engaging and rewarding careers by entering the manufacturing industry; and to align manufacturers, educational institutions, young people and their parents in making these dreams a reality.
It could be the beginning of an important shift in our collective thinking – one that bridges the gaps in both our workers’ skills and our collective mindset related to manufacturing. In Wisconsin and across the country, when we recognize that all manufacturing produces rewarding, family-sustaining careers, and that all sectors today require a highly skilled and innovative workforce, we will place the right emphasis on education required to ensure a vibrant economic future.
Steve Dyer is chief executive officer and president of Dickten Masch Plastics (DMP) and chairman of the Waukesha County Business Alliance’s Manufacturing Steering Committee.
