--(BUSINESS WIRE)--American Welding Society:
| WHAT: | Welding Industry Roundtable | |
| WHO: | Distinguished panelists from the educational, government and industry sectors | |
| of the welding world including: a former U.S. assistant secretary of labor; educators | ||
| from top technical institutions and unions; and executives from such companies as | ||
| Westinghouse, Lincoln Electric, Caterpillar, Bechtel and Kimberly-Clark | ||
| Professional. | ||
| WHEN: | September 9, 2011 | |
| 8:15 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. | ||
| WHERE: | Crowne Plaza Chicago O’Hare Hotel | |
| 5440 North River Road | ||
| Rosemont, IL 60018 | ||
BACKGROUND:
The manufacturing sector has led the economic recovery, adding 230,000 jobs since the beginning of 2010. Every day there are more manufacturing job opportunities and according to the White House, 2.7 million manufacturing employees are 55 years of age or older and likely to leave the labor force in the next 10 years. Where does this news leave the welding industry?
Over 15 panelists from the educational, government and industry sectors of the welding world will come together to discuss the state of the welding industry during the Welding Industry Roundtable in Chicago on September 9, 2011.
Sponsored by the American Welding Society Foundation (AWS Foundation) and the National Center for Welding Education and Training (Weld-Ed), the day-long summit is open to the public and will address challenges that employers and educators face in recruiting, training and retaining welders and training programs. A morning session will feature an executive roundtable focused on developing a set of recommendations for industry, education and government to drive action to improve the development of the future of the welding industry workforce.
An afternoon session will include participants from both the morning executive roundtable and audience. Participants are welcomed to develop ideas and frameworks for pilot projects that address challenges heard in the morning dialogue. Participants are also encouraged to offer ideas and suggestions, and to commit their organization to participate in pilot projects.