Letter to the Editor: OTC tax levy necessary

People are a company’s greatest asset. In a 2005 survey conducted by The Manufacturing Institute, National Association of Manufacturers and Deloitte Consulting, 74 percent of respondents reported that a high-performance work force would be the key business driver for them over the next several years. However, more than 80 percent of respondents to NAM’s 2005 Skills Gap survey stated that they could not find qualified workers to fill their current job openings.

The other two key business drivers are new product innovation and low-cost producer status. Interestingly, it is the high-performance work force that drives product innovation and the ability to produce high-quality products at low cost. So the shortage of skilled workers in manufacturing poses a triple threat, unless we find ways to fill the skills gap and build a better pipeline of new, skilled workers.

The common perception that being the low-cost producer is the only factor that leads to business success does not match today’s reality. Rather, it’s the performance of the work force that provides America’s competitive edge.

Community colleges, which enroll more than 45 percent of America’s undergraduate students, are one of the key resources employers can use to help close the skills gap and prepare people for skills-focused careers and higher education. Community colleges meet employers’ needs for skilled workers in key industries that strengthen America’s economic vitality. They address work-force shortages in industries that pay good wages, offer opportunities for advancement, are important for local economies and have growing demand for skilled workers. Community colleges serve the majority of students from under-represented groups in higher education, including low-income and minority students.

Just as people are a company’s greatest asset, Ozarks Technical Community College has been a tremendous asset for technical training and work-force development in our community. As manufacturers in southwest Missouri continue to experience a shortage of skilled workers, they will need OTC to continue preparing people to meet the specific and changing demands of the manufacturing industry so that it will continue to thrive and provide economic vitality to the area. That is why the SAMA Board of Directors has endorsed the proposed tax levy increase for OTC that will be presented to voters on Nov. 6.

—Rita Needham, executive director, Southwest Area Manufacturers Association