Growing Pennsylvania's manufacturing sector means more jobs for the people who live here. So governmental agencies and representatives of manufacturing companies in the state are joining together to encourage progress among traditional and cutting-edge companies in that sector.
Gov. Tom Corbett's administration has set up an advisory council made up of officials from a variety of manufacturers throughout the state. This group will meet over about six months, starting in January, and identify ways that state policy can assist in manufacturing's growth. They'll focus on topics such as taxes, state regulations, finding and training talented people to work in increasingly technical workplaces, and helping small businesses identify and sell to overseas markets.
The Team Pennsylvania Foundation has also earned the state a spot in a manufacturing policy academy run by the National Governors Association. Foundation CEO Matt Zieger says this will give Corbett's advisory council a chance to interact with nationally known experts.
The council's recommendations are expected next summer, and Zieger says the foundation will seek public feedback on them. Practical advice from those who actually work in manufacturing will be valuable to state departments such as Labor & Industry and Community and Economic Development.
Source: Matt Zieger, Team Pennsylvania Foundation
Writer: Rebecca VanderMeulen