Florida MEP: Florida Manufacturing Extension Partnership

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 22, 2011

For more information please contact:
Richard Peck
321-939-4000

Florida MEP Sponsors Manufacturing Summit Keynote Address by John Ratzenberger
Conference to Focus on Growing Skills Gap: Can Florida Manufacturers Find the Talent to Compete?

CELEBRATION, FL – In the midst of a prolonged economic downturn and high unemployment, Florida manufacturers face a paradoxical problem – many manufacturers cannot find the skilled workers they need to fill job vacancies. Complaints of a talent shortage and inadequate talent pipeline are widespread. One of the most challenging questions facing Florida’s manufacturing sector is “What can be done to address the skills gap?”

The 8^th Annual Manufacturing Summit and Marketplace of the Manufacturers Association of Florida (MAF) will focus on the growing skills gap and the workforce training required for manufacturers to compete in a global economy. The conference will be held at the Hyatt Orlando Airport Hotel on November 30 – December 1, 2011.

Actor John Ratzenberger, best known for his portrayal of Cliff Clavin on Cheers and as host of the Travel Channel’s John Ratzenberger’s Made in America, will deliver the keynote address at 9:15 a.m. on Thursday, December 1.

Ratzenberger has become an ardent champion of vocational training to meet the workforce needs of American manufacturers. He serves on the board of the Center for America and has testified before Congress on America’s manufacturing challenges. Ratzenberger’s address is being sponsored by the Florida Manufacturing Extension Partnership.

“Florida MEP is pleased to sponsor John Ratzenberger’s keynote address,” said Richard Peck, chairman of Florida MEP board of directors. “We’re supporting this event because we believe it’s critical that Florida manufacturers focus on the talent shortage and identify ways of training workers for the manufacturing jobs of the future.”

Florida MEP currently is working with workforce investment boards across the state to deliver an innovative workforce training program known as M.O.S.T.® The program uses high-tech mobile classrooms to deliver customized training at manufacturers’ facilities. The rapid training program has won widespread acclaim for focusing on the on the problem of unemployed veterans and training them for careers in manufacturing.

The Manufacturing Summit will devote two sessions to the issue of workforce training and education. On Wednesday the summit will open with a panel discussion entitled Educating and Certifying Florida’s Manufacturing Workforce that will chart a course for expanding manufacturing education and training in Florida. On Thursday the conference will conclude with a session entitled We’ve Got the Jobs – Where are the Certified and Qualified Workers? Featured panelists include Emily Stover DeRocco, president of The Manufacturing Institute at the National Association of Manufacturers and former U.S. Assistant Secretary of Labor for Employment and Training.

The Summit will conclude on Thursday with an awards dinner honoring Florida’s manufacturers of the year.

For more information including the Summit agenda, visit the MAF event Web page or download a brochure (PDF).

About Florida MEP

The Florida MEP is an affiliate of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) under the U.S. Department of Commerce. The national MEP is a network of manufacturing extension centers that provide business and technical assistance to smaller manufacturers in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Through MEP, manufacturers have access to more than 2000 manufacturing and business “coaches” whose job is to help firms make changes that lead to greater productivity, increased profits, and enhanced global competitiveness. For more information on the Florida MEP program and the MBE conference call 321-939-4000.

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