Working with schools to promote manufacturing

Steve Dyer, president and CEO of Dickten Masch Plastics LLC, is encouraging manufacturers to get involved in their local schools and dedicate resources toward education. In a column posted this week on Milwaukee's BizTimes.com blog, Dyer touted the benefits he's seen from working with schools like Waukesha County Technical College. "We're working with them to help shape the curriculum toward real-world industry advancements, so that educators can better identify the skill sets that are important to employers and ensure they're supporting them throughout their programs," Dyer wrote. Manufacturing sector leaders "must put significant effort toward the technical education of the next generation," he wrote. Even unemployment at 9.5 percent, U.S. manufacturing companies are having a tough time finding and retaining qualified people, he said. "If more manufacturers band together ... to support and promote technical education, we can change the image of manufacturing careers and, while doing so, continue to emphasize the importance of the science and math skills pertinent to the industry."