Gateway Official to Speak at EACC Skilled Labor Workforce Conference

Angie Taylor, vice president of Workforce Solutions and innovations for Gateway Community & Technical College, will address the European-American Chamber of Commerce's May 16 conference on solving the skills gap.

Taylor is one of an impressive list of international speakers at the one-day conference that will address the issues and challenges the United States faces in rebuilding its skilled labor force. Gateway is a leading provider of career education for the manufacturing workforce and other technical fields.

The conference, Skilled Labor Workforce: U.S. and European Perspectives, is designed to enable networking and create a transatlantic dialog about successful European apprenticeship models that have proven effective in creating a skilled workforce.

In addition to Taylor, conference speakers include Joerg Ernst, executive vice president, Global Business, Siemens AG; Karen Elzey, director, Skill for Americas Future Program at The Aspen Institute; Martin von Walterskirchen, minister and regional director Americas of Switzerland Trade and Investment Promotion; LaVaughn Henry, vice president and senior regional officer of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland; and a wide array of regional business and education leaders.

Gateway is pleased to endorse and participate in this conference as part of our continuing effort to close the skills gap in the region and the nation, said Ed Hughes, Gateway president/CEO.

In just the past 12 months, Gateway has broadened our apprenticeship program, begun implementing a business plan to increase the pipeline of manufacturing workers, added two faculty positions related to manufacturing, and introduced mechatronics instruction at Grant County High School, Hughes added. We also are participating in a manufacturing consortium that is conducting grant-funded market analysis of the regions skilled labor needs.

We believe the conference is an excellent means of sharing effective solutions on an international basis, and we look forward to participating, he said.