Author: Brian Hayden
There are plenty of manufacturing jobs available in Buffalo these days, but finding the right employees for those positions is no easy task.
By 2020, there will be a workforce shortage of nearly 16,700 manufacturing jobs in the Buffalo region, according to the New York State Department of Labor. This number is the result of a long-stemming, generational shift away from young people choosing manufacturing careers and shows the imperative need to focus on workforce development in the years ahead.
Workforce development will be the central discussion point at the Buffalo Niagara Partnership’s Manufacturing Month kickoff event on Thursday, Oct. 6 at the Hotel Lafayette. Study after study has shown the growing skills gap between what employers need and the labor force can provide in manufacturing, both locally and nationwide. The Partnership’s kickoff event will address this critical issue by leveraging recent research on national best practices to build better workforce systems to solve this manufacturing gap.
Keynote speaker Martin Scaglione, president and CEO of the Hope Street Group, will discuss best practices nationally for solving the growing workforce gap in Buffalo and aligning the local labor force with employers’ needs. The event is the beginning of the partnership’s month-long focus to focus on pressing manufacturing industry matters.
More on the kickoff event and to sign up: www.thepartnership.org
Photo by Seemann