Education Initiatives Will Spur Manufacturing, Says Expert

By Rob Sanna - Talk Radio News Service

Training the American manufacturing workforce to use new technologies will not only increase worker productivity, but will also increase wages and create growth, said expert William Strauss on Thursday.

Strauss, a senior economist for the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, told members of a Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs subcommittee that education is the key to manufacturing growth.

“Education needs to be a primary focus for our workforce. Certainly in manufacturing, I hear from contacts that they find it a challenge to find qualified workers who have the skills to operate in a computerized sector,” said Strauss. “Whatever we can do with regard to job force training, with regard to apprenticeship programs, those certainly are key.”

According to Strauss, computerization will greatly increase productivity nationwide, especially in fields like aviation manufacturing, in which America leads the way. Countries such as Germany, France, Japan and China are traning its workers to adapt to the digital age, he said, and have gained an edge in the production and use of high speed rail as a result.

Strauss also emphasized that educational initiatives could lead to increases in wages for American workers. College degrees, associate degrees, and even technical training can lead to advancement in wages as productivity continues to increase.