Guest MINDSETTER™ Rep. Ruggiero: Manufacturing is REAL in Rhode Island
Tuesday, August 29, 2017
Manufacturing in Rhode Island is alive and well, but not the manufacturing from the days of our grandparents. Technology has changed how we do business today and how we live.
Today’s manufacturing requires knowledge in technology, math, ladder logic, G-code, lean manufacturing principles and CAD programs. Manufacturing represents 15 percent of the state’s economy with over 1,600 manufacturers in Rhode Island ranging from sole proprietors to companies with over 100 employees.
The No. 1 challenge I hear from manufacturers is finding qualified candidates to expand their business. The biggest asset of any company is its people. And let’s be real, because not every high school student is going to college. That’s why the Governor’s Manufacturing Initiative in this year’s budget is so important. The General Assembly approved $3.65 million to upgrade Davies Career and Technical High School to create a state-of-the art Advanced Manufacturing Center.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTInvesting in manufacturing to train high school students exposes them to careers that will help them in the future. It also helps manufacturers —from craft breweries to precision manufacturers — employ a skilled and qualified workforce to meet the demand of their customers.
Many young people don’t know what opportunity looks like today. The new manufacturing in Rhode Island is in defense, marine and infrastructure technology and cyber security. Rhode Island is a defense and undersea technology leader not just in New England but throughout the country.
Everyone starts somewhere. So start by talking with Dave Chenevert at Rhode Island Manufacturers Association and enroll in its apprentice program called WE MAKE RI. It has a 95-percent graduation rate and RIMA gets its apprentices jobs.
More young people should tour Taylor Box in Warren and talk to Dan Shedd, owner of a third-generation family business. He’s survived recessions, expanded his manufacturing facility, and continues to look for good talent for his growing business in this new economy.
Let’s drive economic growth by creating a skilled workforce while expanding manufacturing in Rhode Island. It’s the future. It’s the new economy. It’s good-paying jobs and in our own backyard.
Rep. Deborah Ruggiero, (D-Dist. 74, Jamestown) is chairwoman of the Small Business Committee and serves on the House Finance Committee.
Related Slideshow: Power List - Business
Related Articles
- Guest MINDSETTER™ Rep. Ruggiero: Making Waves to Reduce College Debt
- Guest MINDSETTER™ Rep. Ruggiero: RhodeWorks - The Right Route to a Stronger Economy
- Guest MINDSETTER™ Rep. Ruggiero: A ‘Victory Day’ For RI Taxpayers & Small Businesses
- Guest MINDSETTER™ Rep. Ruggiero: Green Energy Sector a Bright Spot In RI Economy
- Guest MINDSETTER™ Rep. Ruggiero: Rhode Islanders are Doers
- Guest MINDSETTER™ Blank: MBTA Service in RI is Not Very Useful
- Guest MINDSETTER™ Stewart: Progressives Should Refuse to be Captive Caucus, Work With Green Party
- Guest MINDSETTER™ Jim Wright: Donald Trump Killed Heather Heyer
- Guest MINDSETTER™ Stewart: 2 Unrelated Emails That Speak Volumes About the Governor
- Guest MINDSETTER™ Tom Kenney: Let Pare Go Before He’s Vested
- Guest MINDSETTER™ Bromberg: The Next Generation of Boy Scouts in R.I.
- Guest MINDSETTER™ Fine: Why A Late Session Change To The Hospital Conversions Act Is Bad For RI
- Where is the Courtesy of the Council on Post-Secondary Education? CCRI Guest MINDSETTERS™
- Unfair & Unrealistic Criticism of RI GOP Lawmakers: Guest Mindsetter™ Deckman
- Guest MINDSETTER™ Dave Kane: Covering Your Butt 101
- Let’s Pass the Workers’ Cooperative Law in RI: Guest MINDSETTER™ Stewart
- Where is RI’s Access to Justice Commission? Guest MINDSETTER™ Geoff Schoos
- Guest MINDSETTER™ Taub: An Inexcusable Position
- Providence’s “Three-Dog Limit” is Fiscal Tyranny: Guest MINDSETTER™ Espinal
- Guest MINDSETTER™ Stewart: Is The Next Governor Lincoln Chafee?
- Workers’ Cooperatives - Jobs & People Over Profits: Guest MINDSETTERS™: Nesselbush & Maldonado
- Guest MINDSETTER™ Taub: Cicilline’s Town Hall Meeting was an Embarrassment
- Guest MINDSETTER™ Schoos: Burdened Tenants, Evictions, & Still No Access to Justice Commission in RI
- Rocky Point Signs a Truly Collaborative Effort: Guest MINDSETTER™ LaCross
- Guest MINDSETTER™ Forleo: Rhode Island Looks to Protect Student Journalists
- Guest MINDSETTER™ Gardiner: Republicans Would Ride a Trojan Horse to Repeal Obamacare
- “I Don’t Envy the Voters in the Third Ward” - Guest MINDSETTER™ Mathieu
- “Medicaid is US”—Guest MINDSETTER™ Marino
- Trump the Demagogue Has to Go: Guest MINDSETTER™ Schoos