7. EDSR 10-08-2012 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

£:►:r=•t:p[""6ews,(`.om he:'%i7 /e rsta mnev,s.C:. in,:, 01. '/0 rq?Ai'/i?41. i.t;s C , >C`hti.0 " lit-?{'-Ct' r Businesses, schools hit it off By Jim Boyle on September 24, 2012 at 1:42 pm by Jim Boyle Editor If you had to describe this past week's introductory meeting between school officials and area manufacturers as a first date, you could say it ended with a passionate kiss and an agreement to meet again. Both groups and their matchmakers—the economic development departments at four cities in Sherburne County— left the 7 a.m.meeting feeling a sense of excitement and promise. Clay Wilfahrt, the city of Elk River's assistant director of economic development who got representatives of Elk River schools at the table, was still pumped later that day. "It was such a great tone setter to walk out and see so many people buzzing,"Wilfahrt said. There's a lot of work to be done to address a labor shortage in skilled positions working with automation, robotics and such. It's a problem both locally and nationally. One of the nation's largest manufacturers at a recent symposium estimated this country is 900 machine shops short of fulfilling its needs alone over the next 20 years. In Elk River there are 80 manufacturers, and all seem to feel the effects of the skilled labor shortage in a field that has largely fallen out of favor with Generations X and Y. Manufacturers, who say they battle an image problem created by the dungeons of old that etched a dark and dirty picture in people's minds, have welcomed the Sherburne County Manufacturers Connection being spearheaded by people like Wilfahrt. It has been the goal Annie Deckert, the city director of economic development, and Wilfahrt to get these groups together to address common concerns and increase interest in manufacturing careers. "This is a huge win under the economic development belt," Decked said of connecting manufacturers with our high schools and middle schools.The program should lead nicely into Minnesota's Manufacturing Week, slated for Oct.22-28. One goal will be to give high school kids a chance to tour Sherburne County manufacturers.The city of Elk River is also working with local manufacturers to partner and provide open houses to the public.