Today Congressman Kurt Schrader (OR-05) and Congressman David Wu (OR-01) met with the Manufacturing 21 Coalition to discuss the future of manufacturing in Oregon.
Today, Congressman Kurt Schrader (OR-05) and Congressman David Wu (OR-01) met with the Manufacturing 21 Coalition to discuss the future of manufacturing in Oregon.
“The manufacturing industry in Oregon drives our local economy, stimulates innovation, and provides jobs for hard-working Oregonians right here at home,” said Schrader. “Oregon has been and will continue to be a manufacturing state. We need to make more things in America and here at home so that we are uniquely positioned to sell to growing economies of the future in Asia.”
Manufacturing employs more than 166,000 people in Oregon and nearly 13 million in the United States. These jobs often require a high level of skill and pay higher than average wages.
“Supporting Oregon manufacturing through both federal research investments and workforce training just makes sense,” said Congressman David Wu. “Such investment will provide the foundation of our economic strength now and for decades and generations to come.”
The Manufacturing 21 Coalition is a private-public partnership created in 2004 to advocate for Oregon and southwest Washington’s manufacturing economy. Its members include business, labor, education and training providers, as well as local workforce development boards. The coalition’s goal is the effective integration of private-sector and public resources; industry and academia; and cutting-edge research and real-world application.
Working with the Manufacturing 21 Coalition, Congressmen David Wu and Kurt Schrader successfully secured $2 million in federal funds in fiscal year 2010 for research, workforce training, and youth outreach and requested funding for FY11. Both Wu and Schrader pledged to continue working in Congress to help Oregon build a diverse and thriving manufacturing sector.
