- At panel on the future of work, Michael D’Ambrose calls for a single, cohesive strategy for workforce development
- Millions of manufacturing jobs will go unfilled without decisive action, he says
CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The U.S. public and private sectors must collaborate to ensure the
nation is producing enough skilled workers to meet the needs of its
manufacturing sector, according to Michael D’Ambrose, senior vice
president and chief human resources officer at Archer Daniels Midland
Company (NYSE: ADM.)
Testifying before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission at a panel
discussion on the future of work and the U.S. workforce, D’Ambrose said
that companies like ADM were already having trouble filling key
positions.
“ADM already has hundreds of good-paying jobs we can’t fill because
there aren’t enough skilled workers available to us,” he told the
commissioners. “And we’re not alone.” He noted that the U.S. Department
of Agriculture has projected that within a few years, there won’t be
enough graduates in fields related to food and agriculture to fill the
sector’s roughly 60,000 annual vacancies.
D’Ambrose said the lack of qualified candidates was largely the product
of an education system that isn’t generating enough job-ready workers.
And that failure, he added, reflects a society that places a high value
on college education and views skilled trades as lesser pursuits.
“Our educational system needs to put a greater premium on turning out
skilled, job-ready workers. And a big part of that challenge involves
changing Americans’ perceptions of the value of skilled tradespeople,”
D’Ambrose said. “A skilled tradesperson can earn a great salary—and live
a great life—doing fulfilling work that employers value and reward.”
He concluded by suggesting that the EEOC take an active role in
developing a nationwide workforce-development strategy.
“The EEOC’s ability to marshal resources to strengthen the linkages
between school and work would be invaluable,” D’Ambrose said. “We at ADM
would welcome the chance to partner with the Commission and with
companies in other industries to help build the diverse pool of talent
our country needs. And we believe our peers in other industries would be
equally excited about the opportunity.”
About ADM
For more than a century, the people of Archer Daniels Midland Company
(NYSE: ADM) have transformed crops into products that serve the vital
needs of a growing world. Today, we’re one of the world’s largest
agricultural processors and food ingredient providers, with
approximately 32,000 employees serving customers in more than 160
countries. With a global value chain that includes approximately 500
crop procurement locations, 250 ingredient manufacturing facilities, 38
innovation centers and the world’s premier crop transportation network,
we connect the harvest to the home, making products for food, animal
feed, industrial and energy uses. Learn more at www.adm.com.
Archer Daniels Midland Company
Media Relations
Jackie Anderson
media@adm.com
312-634-8484