“Blue Tech” fair connected manufacturers, students, parents, and technical educators to better understand needs and opportunities in Delaware manufacturing

 

WILMINGTON, Del. — Yesterday evening, Congressman John Carney (D-DE) and dozens of employers, workers, and students visited Delcastle Technical High School to learn about opportunities in Delaware manufacturing.  This “Blue Tech” fair, hosted by the Congressman, in coordination with the New Castle County Vocational-Technical School District, helped students learn about the science and manufacturing based programs offered in the district’s schools, and connected employers with Delaware’s future manufacturing workforce.  

 

As part of the fair, Congressman Carney also led a roundtable discussion with manufacturing and education leaders to hear directly about the opportunities for growth in the industry and the skills needed by today’s manufacturing companies.  Participants in the roundtable included Dr. Vicki Gehrt, Superintendent of New Castle County Vo-Tech District; Mark Kleinschmidt, President of the New Castle County Chamber of Commerce; Tom McCarthy, Director of Delaware Tech’s Innovation and Technology Center; and Brad Walters, VP of Operations for ILC Dover.

 

“We need to make things in America again to have a robust economy and create jobs that support middle class families,” said Congressman Carney.  “But, manufacturing today isn’t the same as in years past.  The challenges of a global marketplace are different, and the skills needed by employees are greater than ever before.  We hosted this event so that students – the next generation of manufacturing leaders – could see the career opportunities ahead of them, and help businesses better understand the training that young people are receiving.  I hope to continue making these connections throughout the state.”

 

“We were most eager to partner with Congressman Carney for this event,” said NCC Vo-Tech Superintendent Vicki Gehrt.  “It is our objective as a career and technical school system to connect our students with industry partners. The more we learn about the needs of businesses the better we can prepare our students to be truly career ready when they graduate.”

 

Wednesday’s event was a follow-up to Congressman Carney’s Make It In Delaware Week, held last June to gather ideas for proposals that would revitalize manufacturing in the U.S. and Delaware.  To read Congressman Carney’s Make it in Delaware plan, click here. 

 

The event was also held as a ramp-up to National Manufacturing Day, taking place on October 3rd to raise awareness of coordinated efforts to revitalize the industry and connect with future generations. 

 

Last week, Congressman Carney introduced H.R. 5567, the Education and Workforce Training Innovation Act, which would provide federal resources to technical schools and community colleges that are building innovative pathways for students to compete in the new “blue tech” economy. The Congressman’s bill will create two pilot programs: the Community Workforce Training Grants Pilot Program and the Financing a Skilled 21st Century Workforce Bonds Pilot Program.  The first will direct $50 million toward technical schools and community colleges who work hand in hand with blue tech industries to develop collaborative training and work education programs. The second will utilize a pay-for-performance model that incentivizes private investors to come up with innovative ways to help close the skills gap and increase the number of completed apprenticeships and technical certifications.

 

U.S. manufacturing jobs have been declining for more than three decades.  With the loss of companies like Chrysler, GM, Avon, and others, Delaware has lost more than 15,000 manufacturing jobs in the last 14 years.  

 

However, signs show that manufacturing jobs are beginning to come back to the U.S.   Companies like Apple, General Electric, and Whirlpool that had moved production overseas, are now bringing jobs back.  In Delaware, Kraft Foods recently brought its Kool-Aid brand back from Mexico to Dover, and invested $10 million to expand its facility.  In 2013, ILC purchased Grayling Industries, a manufacturer of industrial packaging products, and moved the facility from Juarez, Mexico to Seaford.  Grayling recently hired more than 100 full-time employees and started full-scale operations in July.

 

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