Gottheimer Hosts Employers, Educators, Labor at Round Table to Help Students Connect with Jobs

Discussion Centers on Closing the Middle-Skills Job Gap, Manufacturing, Creating Good Jobs in New Jersey

PARAMUS, NJ – Wednesday, April 24, 2019, U.S. Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5) brought together leaders from local businesses, labor, advocates, and academia to discuss how to close the middle-skill jobs gap in New Jersey and ensure that all three groups are working together to fill manufacturing jobs in North Jersey. In New Jersey, about 53 percent of jobs require middle-skill labor, but only 37 percent of our workforce has those skills.

In attendance were:

Ketan Gandhi, Sussex Community College

Mike Schneider, Bergen CLC

Paul Melone, Thor Labs

Josh Hopp, HK Metalcraft

Dennis Montone, Bergen County Technical School

Derrick Forsythe, Warren County Technical School

Peter Connolly, ShockTech, Inc

Steven Rose, Passaic Community College

Gary Uyematsu, BMW North America

Lisa Vassallo, BMW North America

Tamara Vaughn, Bergen Community College

Judy Fleischer, NJ MEP

Cinzia D’Iorio, Bergen Community College

Amy Eskilson, Inrad Optics

Dr. William Austin, Warren Community College

Christine Gillespie, Bergen County Community College

“I want to thank everyone from all four counties I serve who participated in today’s productive conversation about how to get people filling the needs of our businesses, especially manufacturers, here in North Jersey,” said Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5). “I was thrilled to see not just an exchange of ideas today, but an exchange of phone numbers and emails, so we can work together to complete the path from high school to community college or apprenticeships to manufacturing. We also need to make sure that our high schools are celebrating trades and skilled labor and encouraging students to take paths that are not only four-year colleges. At the state and federal level, we need to help fill this middle-skill gap to cement North Jersey as a manufacturing hub and an economic powerhouse.”

Last month, Gottheimer held a roundtable of labor leaders where they talked about a disconnect between schools and labor in North Jersey. The conversation today was the most recent step Gottheimer has taken to try to bridge that divide and place students and workers in good jobs where businesses need them most.