Traci Tapani Testifies before a U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Traci Tapani to Testify Today at Congressional Hearing on the Workforce Skills Gap
WASHINGTON DC—May 9, 2018
Traci Tapani, Co-Owner of Wyoming Machine, Inc., based in Stacy, Minn., and national expert on workforce development and the Skills Gap, will testify at a 10:00 AM hearing today (5/9/2018) held by The Congressional Committee on Education and the Workforce. The hearing will examine the skills gap between high school graduates and skilled positions, especially in manufacturing. The Manufacturing Institute estimates that 2,000,000 manufacturing jobs will go unfilled in the next 10 years.
Traci will discuss the skilled worker shortage and the creative solutions she and sister and Co-President Lori Tapani use to find and train employees. The sisters work closely with Community and Technical Colleges, as well as high schools and even grade school children to inspire technical educations and careers in manufacturing.
The Tapani sisters’ efforts are widely recognized. Last year they won the W.O. Lawton Business Leadership Award in Washington DC, sponsored by the National Association of Workforce Boards (NAWB). The annual award honors one large and one small business or organization committing time, money and leadership to enhance their community’s workforce and economy. The award also salutes the recipients’ partnership with their local Workforce Development Board.
Both Lori and Traci have also received the national STEP Award. The STEP (Science, Technology, Engineering and Production) Award is given annually to honor the achievements of women in manufacturing.
The Manufacturing Institute launched the STEP Ahead initiative in 2012 to celebrate women in the manufacturing industry that are making a difference through advocacy, mentorship, engagement, promotion, and leadership. Women make up about 47 percent of the labor force, but only 27 percent of the manufacturing workforce
Traci’s testimony begins at 35:50 on the YouTube video (link here)