Lassa Thinks Manufacturing Skills Lacking in Marshfield

'There are jobs in the state. But one of the things I am hearing from businesses, no matter if I'm in Marshfield or Green Bay, is that it's hard to find people with the skills to fill the positions,' Lassa said...'This bill addresses a problem manufacturers all over the state are calling their biggest hurdle to growth -- finding workers with advanced manufacturing skills,' Lassa said."State lawmakers from the area agree that the focus of the new legislative session beginning today will be job creation."

"The issue between Republican and Democratic legislators is how to create jobs.

A bill that provides money to train workers passed the Senate, 32-1, but is stalled in the Assembly, said state Sen. Julie Lassa, D-Stevens Point, who authored the legislation.

'There are jobs in the state. But one of the things I am hearing from businesses, no matter if I'm in Marshfield or Green Bay, is that it's hard to find people with the skills to fill the positions,' Lassa said.

Under Lassa's bill, an additional $400,000 would pay for the Advanced Manufacturing Training Grants program, enabling workers to be trained in the specialized skills needed for local jobs.

Instead of funneling money to another jobs creation program, lawmakers should focus on supporting the mining bill, which will create thousands of jobs throughout the state, said Rep. Scott Suder, R-Abbotsford.

Gogebic Taconite wants to open a mine in the Penokee Hills just south of Lake Superior. The company has promised the mine will create hundreds of jobs, but environmentalists worry it will pollute the pristine region.

Company officials have put their plans on hold, though. They say they want assurances of an end point in the state's permitting process before they proceed.

The bill calls for state regulators to make a permit decision within a year. It also limits opponents' challenges and lawsuits.

'This will create not just jobs at the mine but throughout the entire state,' said Suder, who added it will create 700 jobs paying an average $80,000 salary. And that doesn't count the thousands more that would support the work at the mine, he said.

There are different ways to create jobs, Suder said.

'My concern on any of the bills is how much money they will spend,' he said, adding the mining bill creates jobs without requiring the state to pay for a program.

If industry doesn't have access to the skilled workforce it needs, the concern is that the company will relocate to a state that has the workers it needs, Lassa said.

'This bill addresses a problem manufacturers all over the state are calling their biggest hurdle to growth -- finding workers with advanced manufacturing skills,' Lassa said."

Source: Marshfield News-Herald and The Associated Press contributed.