A new report was released Tuesday in Louisville that assesses the the economic and workforce development challenges facing a 26 county region in Kentucky and Indiana adjacent to the Interstate 65 corridor.The Wired65 Regional Competitiveness Strategy was authored in part by the Austin, Texas consulting firm TIP Strategies.Company executive Tom Stellman says among the report's observations is that the skill sets of the region's workforce do not match many job opportunites, and there's a particular need for people with certain technical skills."The demand for artisans, the demand for craftsmen, the demand for machinists, those people who can not only think critically but can use their hands to solve problems, there's a huge gap right now. And even with unemployment rates high, with people being laid off right now, there still a huge demand." Stellman told a crowd of education and business leaders.The full Wired 65 report is available here.
Rick Howlett was midday host and the host of LPM's weekly talk show, "In Conversation." He was with LPM from 2001-2023 and held many different titles, including Morning Edition host, Assignment Editor and Interim News Director. He died in August 2023. Read a remembrance of Rick here.
