The Aspen Institute

This discussion explores the skills gap in manufacturing and selected efforts to creatively address the problem. The opening presentation by Craig Giffi of Deloitte updates its survey-based assessment of the skills gap at both the factory level and the research level. A panel chaired by Gardner Carrick, Vice President of Strategic Initiatives, The Manufacturing Institute, explores selected approaches to filling the gap. Dr. Theresa Maldonado, Division Director, Division of Engineering Education and Centers, National Science Foundation (NSF), discusses efforts by the NSF to attract non-traditional students to engineering and research fields important to manufacturing; Dr. Tim Welsh, Senior Vice President, Industry Strategy Group, University of Phoenix, discusses efforts to attract students to STEM fields, focusing on women at the K-12 level and at the university; and Ann Randazzo, Executive Director, Center for Energy Workforce Development, discusses how electric utilities attract and train workers through state and locally based apprenticeship programs.