Dépêches

Congressman Butterfield and CEO of AAR Host Roundtable to Grow Goldsboro’s Work Force and Fill Existing Job Openings

Dépèche transmise le 20 octobre 2011 par Business Wire

GOLDSBORO, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--U.S. Congressman G.K. Butterfield and David P. Storch, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of global aerospace leader, AAR, convened a roundtable discussion Thursday with local leaders in education, industry and the nonprofit sector on ways to close the skills gaps in America’s workforce that is creating barriers to hiring and job creation nationwide.

“Today’s roundtable and our report is a call to action to rally businesses and industry to spearhead public/private partnerships that get workers trained and provide a pipeline of talent for the future.”

The roundtable, which follows President Obama’s recent visit to North Carolina on job creation, sought engagement by public-private partners working together to address workforce challenges.

“I am happy to participate in an event that highlights job creation and workforce training in my district, one of the poorest in the country. AAR provides much-needed manufacturing jobs and exemplifies workforce training practices,” stated Congressman G.K. Butterfield.

At the event, AAR Chairman and CEO, David P. Storch unveiled a comprehensive new study on why skills gaps exist and why the private sector must lead to ensure a pipeline of talent. Commissioned by AAR to solve its own workforce challenges The Mid-Skills Gap in Middle America: Building Today’s Workforce, highlights best practices and solutions in four cities, including successful partnerships in Wayne County, North Carolina, between business, industry groups, the public schools and local community colleges.

“As our nation struggles with high unemployment rates, AAR has over 600 quality job openings. We’re positioned to grow, but challenged to find a skilled workforce due to a mismatch between the existing labor pool and our open positions,” David Storch said. “Today’s roundtable and our report is a call to action to rally businesses and industry to spearhead public/private partnerships that get workers trained and provide a pipeline of talent for the future.”

Mid-skills describes good-paying, highly specialized mechanical, technical or production jobs that may require industry or government certification but not necessarily a bachelor’s degree. Industries such as manufacturing, aerospace, energy, transportation, technology and construction all demand this type of worker.

The Mid-Skills Gap offers AAR as a real-life example of a mid-sized, U.S.-based company working diligently to remove barriers to education, recruitment, training and workforce retention. Particularly at small to mid-sized companies, the consequence of a workforce without the requisite skills is slower growth, higher on-the-job training costs and lost productivity. The report identifies the contributing factors to the deepening mid-skills gap:

• Lackluster focus on applied STEM education in the nation’s public schools;
• ‘Disconnect’ between what’s being taught and the needs of business;
• Stigma attached to hands-on skilled labor; and
• A shrinking talent pipeline.

The report was developed through a series of interviews and collection of existing data sources from federal agencies, private industry associations, state-specific research studies and focus groups, and company-specific data. It provides an in-depth look at the challenges, outreach efforts and opportunities for AAR at its facilities in Goldsboro, NC, Indianapolis, IN, Oklahoma City, OK, and Hot Springs, AR.

The full report is available at: www.aarcorp.com/mid-skills

About AAR:

AAR is a leading provider of value-added products and services to the worldwide aerospace and government and defense industries. With facilities and sales locations around the world, AAR uses its close-to-the-customer business model to serve customers through four operating segments: Aviation Supply Chain; Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul; Structures and Systems; and Government and Defense Services. More information can be found at www.aarcorp.com.