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Press Releases

Rep. Richard Hudson Visits Ingersoll Rand to Discuss the Skills Gap Crisis in Manufacturing

Rep. Hudson Participates in Facility Tour, Employee Town Hall and Business Leader Roundtable

Southern Pines, NC – Today,the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) and Ingersoll Rand hosted Rep. Richard Hudson (NC-8) for a facility tour, employee town hall and workforce development roundtable to discuss the skills gap crisis in manufacturing and how filling the high-skilled jobs required for modern manufacturing is critical to North Carolina’s economic prosperity.

Manufacturers appreciate Rep. Hudson’s commitment to building the modern manufacturing workforce and expanding opportunities for American workers, said NAM President and CEO Jay Timmons. Ingersoll Rand, like manufacturers across this country, face an urgent need for trained, talented workers, a need that will only grow in the coming years. Right now, manufacturers have some 482,000 jobs to fill—jobs that are rewarding and high-paying and help families build brighter futures. By 2025, as many as 2 million manufacturing jobs could go unfilled, according to a study by Deloitte and the NAM’s Manufacturing Institute. So, we need all elected leaders engaged, and we’re grateful for Rep. Hudson’s leadership on this issue as well as other manufacturing issues like tax reform and regulatory relief, which have also empowered manufacturing workers.

During the facility tour, Rep. Hudson had the opportunity to see firsthand the types of high-skilled jobs required to run Ingersoll Rand’s machinery and equipment.

Working with the administration, we have delivered pro-growth policies and regulatory reforms that have undoubtedly led to more jobs and higher wages, said Rep. Hudson. We now have more job openings than people looking for work in our booming economy—and an increasing skills gap crisis in manufacturing. I remain committing to advancing legislation that closes the skills gap and helps equip workers with the tools they need to get these highly technical, good-paying jobs. Ingersoll Rand’s facility in Southern Pines has done a tremendous job partnering with local stakeholders—like Sandhills Community College—to make job training a priority.

During a roundtable discussion, company leaders thanked Rep. Hudson for his commitment to helping build the high-skilled workforce to fill modern manufacturing jobs.

As the manufacturing industry becomes more digital and sophisticated, there is a continuous and escalating need for a skilled workforce, said Mike Lamach, Chairman and CEO of Ingersoll Rand and NAM Executive Committee member. That’s why sustainable workforce development is so important to companies like Ingersoll Rand. With Manufacturing Day right around the corner, we appreciate leaders like Congressman Richard Hudson and the National Association of Manufacturers shining a spotlight on this important issue.

Manufacturing contributes an estimated $2.25 trillion to the U.S. economy and supports 460,200 jobs in North Carolina alone, according to the NAM.

-NAM-

The National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) is the largest manufacturing association in the United States, representing small and large manufacturers in every industrial sector and in all 50 states. Manufacturing employs more than 12 million men and women, contributes $2.25 trillion to the U.S. economy annually, has the largest economic impact of any major sector and accounts for more than three-quarters of private-sector research and development. The NAM is the powerful voice of the manufacturing community and the leading advocate for a policy agenda that helps manufacturers compete in the global economy and create jobs across the United States. For more information about the Manufacturers or to follow us on Shopfloor, Twitter and Facebook, please visit www.nam.org.

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