On the recordMarch 28, 2012
I have been to the plant where they make the engine for the Chevy Cruze, I have been to the plant where they make the bumper for some of these cars, and I have been to the assembly plants, and the workers are excited. And the workers sacrificed a lot, as the auto industry--all kinds of people took a hit with the managed bankruptcy of those two companies. But we have seen not just the auto industry, but for 12 years, from 1997 to 2009, in my State and I assume in Illinois too and all over the country we lost manufacturing jobs. Almost every month for the last 2 years we have gained manufacturing jobs. The auto rescue is not the only reason we have seen things turn around. We also have a productive workforce and we are training workers better. I have 55 college presidents I just met with whom I bring to Washington for a conference--it is the fifth year in a row. Senator Portman, Congresswoman Sutton, and others have met with them. They are more focused than ever on manufacturing, working to train those people so they can go into manufacturing. The students they are educating are in a whole lot of fields, but one of them is focusing on how to train people to do this high-end, much more technical, complicated manufacturing than a generation ago, and it is starting to work.
