PMA Member and Minnesota Senator Write Joint Op-ed on Closing the Skills Gap

Erick Ajax and an employee at his facility.
Star Tribune photo.
 PMA member Erick Ajax, co-owner of E.J. Ajax in Fridley, Minnesota, and Minnesota Senator Al Franken appear together on the byline of an op-ed that ran in the Minnesota Star Tribune over the weekend.  The piece, "Closing the skills gap is a matter of partnership," focuses on ways to build stronger relationships between businesses and two-year schools.

It begins -

Senator Al Franken (D-MN)
     "One of us owns an innovative advanced metal forming company based in Fridley; the other is a U.S. senator. Both of us share a strong belief that the United States must address the “skills gap” that has left more than 3 million good-paying jobs unfilled. We also know from our experiences that we can close this gap in a way that will connect skilled workers with jobs, help make college more affordable and boost our competitiveness in a global economy.

     By forging new and stronger partnerships between businesses and two-year community and technical colleges, we can train not only high school graduates looking for careers but also current workers who need to upgrade their skills as technology advances and industries evolve."

Read the full op-ed here.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

PMA and MetalForming Magazine Conference on ERP Software

Image
ERP software is changing the way companies do business.  ERP, enterprise-resource-planning, programs compile all of a company's data and processes into one system, an effort that saves time and money. Interested in learning more about how your business could benefit from ERP software?  Check out the PMA and MetalForming Magazine event on the technology in a few months in Cincinnati.  Read more in the press release below. PMA and MetalForming Magazine to Hold Conference on the Latest Developments in ERP Software     CLEVELAND, OH—July 23, 2013—The Precision Metalforming Association’s (PMA) flagship publication, MetalForming magazine, announces The Manufacturing ERP Experience, a conference that will provide information on the industry’s leading enterprise-resource-planning (ERP) software systems for small to midsized manufacturing companies.  The event is scheduled for October 8-9, 2013, in Cincinnati, Ohio. Modern ERP systems have changed how companies do business.
Read more

Annual Automotive Conference Moved to Virtual Format For 2020

Image
Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, PMA is announcing today that the in-person 2020 Automotive Parts Suppliers Conference , originally scheduled to take place September 1-2 in Detroit, MI has been moved to a virtual only event on the same dates. This was not an easy decision, but, ultimately, the health and safety of our attendees, exhibitors, sponsors, speakers and staff is our highest priority.  While we look forward to a time when we can be together again face-to-face, the PMA team has been working hard behind the scenes to transition this event and deliver tremendous automotive content and information that our industry needs. Registration for the virtual event is open, and you can view the updated agenda here and list of speakers here .  We look forward to seeing you virtually in September. 
Read more

New Steel Tariffs on Brazil and Argentina?

President Trump announced via tweet on Monday that he was imposing tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from Brazil and Argentina due to both governments devaluating their currencies. These two countries previously had reached a deal with the Trump administration to avoid Section 232 steel and aluminum tariffs by agreeing to quotas. Both Argentina and Brazil were exempted from the 232 steel and aluminum tariffs in May 2018. The tariffs can’t be “restored” because the two countries were not subject to tariffs in the first place. The exemptions for both countries required Presidential Proclamations, and to change the quotas to tariffs would require new proclamations as tariffs can’t be re-imposed by a tweet. At this writing, we are still awaiting these proclamations. If the President does move forward with these tariffs, it would likely lead to an immediate legal challenge. A current U.S. Court of International Trade case (Transpacific Steel v U.S.) is focused on this exact issue of
Read more