F a l l 2 0 1 9 • S T U F F 3 1
S T U F F M a d e I n C T . c o m
In July of 2018, the Pledge to America's Workers promised
training-and-education opportunities for more than 1.2
million American students and workers over the next five
years. More than 300 companies and organizations have
committed to contributing over 12.7 million training hours
and education opportunities by 2024.
The pledge came in response to what National Association of
Manufacturers President and CEO Jay Timmons estimates as
more than 500,000 currently unfilled manufacturing jobs in
addition to 2.4 million jobs predicted to go unfilled by 2028.
In response to the pledge, Walmart alone has promised
1 million opportunities for its workers. This comes as no
surprise. In the spring of 2018, Walmart made national
headlines when the retailer announced that it would fund
degrees in business and supply chain-management for its
employees. Programs such as this increase longevity of
employment and improve workforce quality. The Pledge
for America's Workers begins even earlier by targeting
manufacturing inclined students before they enter the
workforce.
Unfortunately, manufacturing is often misunderstood by
Gen-Z – Americans born after 1996. According to the Pew
Research Institute, the oldest members of Gen-Z are less
likely than Millenials to be in the labor force.
Organ ations like Girls Inc.
seek to get younger
students interested in STEM
By Sarah Connell Sanders
"In addition, we have amazing
women who give of their time
as mentors and work directly
with our girls and/or are part
of our programs for middle
and high school, where our
girls have the chance to meet
with them and see their work
environments, or talk with
them about their path, their
challenges and their success in
these various fields,"
- Donna Maglio,
Executive Director, Girls Inc. of Western
Connecticut
ILLUSTRATION
|
Annabelle
Meszynski
