January 6, 2012
New AWB Manufacturing Report Due Jan. 17
What do Washington state manufacturers think about the business climate in our state? Their top concerns? On Jan. 17, AWB and the AWB Institute will release a report detailing its findings from this summer's six-city tour and conversations with small, medium and large manufacturers. As the state manufacturing association as designated by the National Association of Manufacturers, AWB represents more than 2,000 manufacturers and works with several partners across the state to grow and support the industry. This statewide listening tour gathered information first-hand from Washington manufacturers about the economic, regulatory and workforce challenges faced by the industry. The final report will be made available on Jan. 17 as part of the 2012 AWB Legislative & Lobby Days and will also be posted to the Institute website.Register now for AWB Legislative & Lobby Days, Jan. 17-18
Time is short and space is limited: Make your reservation today to confirm your spot for AWB's Legislative & Lobby Days. For maximum impact this year, our two-day event is happening earlier in the legislative session, and we're expecting higher attendance as a result. It starts Jan. 17 with Legislative Day, an event featuring panel discussions with legislators talking about the budget and taxes, energy, labor and workforce and education issues. Gov. Chris Gregoire is our 2012 Better Workplace Awards lunch speaker. The day culminates with our legislative reception, a premier event that will bring legislators and business leaders together at the Red Lion Hotel in Olympia. Then join us the next morning for Lobby Day as we travel to the Capitol to meet directly with legislators. They need to hear directly from employers about how their decisions impact business, so please consider making time for this event. Go online and register today - and make sure you secure a hotel reservation before rooms sell out. Contact Anne Haller at 800.521.9325 for more details.Maintaining Manufacturing's Global Competitiveness
One of the key points that came out of the manufacturing conversations held by AWB last year was that the burdens of the regulatory environment are choking the industry's ability to prosper. Increased and unreasonable regulations are decreasing competitiveness. This was also the conclusion of a report commissioned by the National Association of Manufacturers, "A Manufacturing Renaissance." According to the report, "Because of our policies on taxes, energy, tort, and trade, it is 20 percent more expensive to do business in the U.S. than it is in the countries which are our nine largest trading partners." Both AWB and the Institute will be working with state and federal partners to address these issues and work toward providing a competitive environment in which the manufacturing industry can continue to prosper and be the global leader.Walla Walla Community College Among Nation's Best
In December, the Aspen Institute College Excellence Program selected Walla Walla Community College as a "finalist with distinction" - a designation said to make the school one of the five top community colleges in the country. WWCC was selected from a pool of more than 1,000 U.S. community colleges for the honor.Walla Walla Community College President Dr. Steve VanAusdel received the award and a check for $100,000, stating "This award shines a great spotlight not just on Walla Walla but all of the 34 community and technical colleges in Washington state and their efforts to produce the finest workforce possible." The Aspen Institute assembled and reviewed data on community colleges and the critical elements of student success including student learning, degree completion and transfer, equity and employment/earnings after college. The goal is to improve and increase a skilled workforce, better able to meet the needs of employers, and make a good living. To learn more about the award and Walla Walla Community College visit their website.
Manufacturing Grows at Fastest Pace in 6 Months
A report issued Tuesday by the Institute for Supply Management stated increases in manufacturing production and hiring. This is promising news in Washington state where the manufacturing industry has an annual economic impact of over $130 billion and supports more than 250,000 jobs. Read the report in its entirety via the ISM website.AWBI, SBCTC Collaborate on Training Issues
For the eighth year in a row, AWBI and the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges have held statewide focus groups to further collaborate between business and the community college system. The goal of the collaboration is to inform the implementation of training programs that effectively train the workforce needed to ensure Washington's businesses are globally competitive.AWB President Don Brunell and SBCTC Director Charlie Earl hosted listening forums in Seattle, Tacoma, Vancouver, Tri-Cities, and Spokane October through December. Look for the final report from these conversations in future issues of this newsletter.Training Dollars Available for Careers in Energy Efficiency, Renewable Energy
Money for workplace-based, online or classroom training is available from the U.S. Department of Labor, ETA, through a State Energy Sector Partnership Grant within its High Growth Emerging Industries grant category. These training dollars are available to prepare individuals for careers in any of the seven energy efficiency and renewable energy industries, including:- The energy efficient building, construction and retrofit industries;
- The renewable electric power industry;
- The energy efficient and advanced drive train vehicle industry;
- The biofuels industry;
- The deconstruction and materials use industries;
- The energy efficiency assessment industry serving residential, commercial or industrial sectors; and
- Manufacturers that produce sustainable products using environmentally sustainable processes and materials
Money available can be used for training costs (instructor, tuition, training space, supplies, etc) and minimal administrative costs as well as train the trainer costs (tuition and travel expenses) if a worker needs to be trained in order to teach other workers. For additional information about this program contact Beth Meyer at the Washington State Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board, bmeyer@wtb.wa.gov or 360.586.3328.
Workforce Quote of the Month
"Walla Walla shows strong results in student learning, completion, equity and employment/earnings after college and stands out among American community colleges for its visionary development of programs that not only create job opportunities for its graduates, but drive economic development in the region around the college."-Judges' comments in the Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence
Contact the AWB Institute
If you have any questions about the content of this newsletter, or you would like to know more about the AWB Institute, please contact us directly:- Kris Johnson, AWB vice president of operations
- Amy Johnson, Strategic Consultant
- Mike Hudson, Project Manager
