Making it on Long Island

May 17, 2019

In the midst of record-high employment numbers, Long Island manufacturers are struggling to find qualified workers.

And while business is good, the lack of vocational training offered by area schools and dearth of workforce housing here has been a big obstacle in hiring and retaining skilled employees.

Those were the takeaways from a wide-ranging discussion with manufacturing industry leaders during a participant-sponsored roundtable event held at the offices of Long Island Business News.

[Nicholas] Terzulli said schools aren’t doing a great job in preparing students for today’s employment needs or those in the future.

“They aren’t even thinking about preparing for tomorrow,” Terzulli said. “They aren’t thinking about my kid in the fifth grade now and what job opportunity he might have when he’s 18, 19 or 30. Colleges are concerned with the enrollment they’ll have in a few years because people have less children and so colleges are looking at budgets. But are they even thinking about what sort of jobs we need to prepare these children for?”

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