Wednesday, February 12, 2003
The face of manufacturing has changed. The problem is that most educators don't know it.
The truth is that while the number of manufacturing jobs has been declining, the productivity of manufacturing has been relatively strong.
(One recent report concludes, "America is back as a manufacturing powerhouse. During the last two decades, a revolution in manufacturing technology generally ?and advances in machine tools specifically ?enabled manufacturers to reinvent themselves and to restore the competitive power of the United States as a world-class producer of durable goods.")
In Asheville, EDPros are doing something to change perceptions. They have organized tours of local manufacturing facilities for high school educators. As one teacher on the tour noted, manufacturing is no longer a "dead-end" job. Read more.
Manufacturers are trying to change the perception of manufacturing among young people with web sites, such as Manufacturing is Cool. And in Kentucky, manufacturers have come together to define manufacturing skill standards for high school students.
posted by Ed Morrison |
links
Some Background on EDPro Weblog
The purpose of this weblog is to help economic development professionals -- EDPros -- keep up with the changes sweeping our profession. Strap on your goggles. It's a whole new game. There are no experts any more. The only place to learn about economic development is from other EDPros who are doing it.
One other point: the prevaling approach (paradigm, if you like) in economic development is shifting from competition to collaboration. There are a lot of reaasons underlying this shift, but here's the important insight: You, your community, and your region will do better by collaborating and sharing information.
If you are using a news reader, here is the link to syndicate this site:
Here's the link if you are a bloglines subscriber:
Speaking and workshops on Open Source Economic Development
As the idea of Open Source Economic Development starts spreading, more people are asking about it. Visit the I-Open web site to learn more. My colleagues and I are happy to explain the basic concepts in a talk or a workshop. E-mail Susan Alshuler if you'd like to learn more about workshops and speaking.
Background on Ed Morrison
Download some background information on me here.
Updating outdated ideas about manufacturing
