FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
El Cajon, April 10 – The East County Economic Development Council (ECEDC) announced the date for the Manufacturers Tour and Panel of their Careers in Manufacturing series. This series was started in response to manufacturers reporting difficulties in finding skilled, qualified personnel. With many veterans and adults out of work, ECEDC and partners have started arranging tours of manufacturing facilities in East County for jobseekers to learn what manufacturing looks like today and the career opportunities within this sector. The next Manufacturers Tour and Panel will be on May 15, 2013 thanks to sponsorship from U.S. Bank and Wells Fargo, as wells as, funding from the San Diego Workforce Partnership.
Participants will tour two East County manufacturing facilities: Quality Controlled Manufacturing, Inc. (QCMI), a precision machining manufacturer located in Santee, and Taylor Guitars, the iconic, El-Cajon based, maker of world-class guitars. Following the tours, participants will attend a lunch panel presentation and hear from industry leaders about careers in the manufacturing sector, required skills, and training opportunities.
“The manufacturing sector in San Diego, especially in East County, has been having a difficult time finding personnel. They have reported that their growth projections, improving as the country emerges from the Great Recession and as their customers re-shore component fabrication from overseas, may be adversely affected by the scarcity of skilled labor. In addition, manufacturers are increasingly concerned about their current workforce nearing retirement age without a reliable pipeline of skilled employees to replace aging-out workers,” said Jo Marie Diamond, ECEDC President and CEO.
“Our company has been growing in operations. We need employees and cannot seem to find qualified individuals fast enough,” said Rick Urban, Chief Operating Officer at QCMI. Urban chairs the ECEDC’s subcommittee that has been planning this series of tours and has been pushing efforts to engage people in the manufacturing industry. QCMI made the Inc. 500/5000 list of America’s Fastest Growing Private Companies and recently announced the hiring of its 100th employee.
In early December, the ECEDC worked in collaboration with the Grossmont Union High School District and other partners to organize the first Manufacturers Tour and Panel. More than 80 Career Technical Education high school students toured three East County manufacturing companies to learn about career opportunities. Company tours included Quality Controlled Manufacturing Inc. (QCMI), First Class Packaging, and Taylor Guitars. Following the tour, a panel of manufacturing leaders convened at Cuyamaca College to discuss career opportunities and to answer students’ questions about joining the manufacturing workforce.
About the Careers in Manufacturing Series – The Careers in Manufacturing Series is a collaborative effort. Partners organizing tours and panels include the Center for Applied Competitive Technologies, Cuyamaca College, East County Career Center, East County Economic Development Council, Grossmont Union High School District, Public Consulting Group, Quality Controlled Manufacturing Inc., Seacoast Science Inc., and Wells Fargo. This started as a project of the ECEDC’s Supporting Education and Economic Development Committee. The May 15th tour will be the second of the Manufacturers Tour and Panel series. The Manufacturers Tour and Panel is sponsored by U.S. Bank and Wells Fargo. Additional sponsorships are still available.
About ECEDC – The East County Economic Development Council (ECEDC) is a dynamic, award-winning, non-profit organization of leaders committed to a healthy, vital economic climate and quality of life in the East County San Diego region. For additional information, please visit the East County Economic Development Council at www.eastcountyedc.org.
Contact: Gladys Selfridge
Tel. 619/258-3670
Cell Phone: 619/247-8236
Email: gladys.selfridge@eastcountyedc.org