ESD Launches 'Made in Michigan Pipeline'

SOUTHFIELD, Mich., Feb. 27, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- With 250 professionals and key Michigan leaders in attendance, The Engineering Society of Detroit (ESD) and its Institute unveiled on February 23, 2012 a five-step plan to curb Michigan's workforce shortage, provide youth with STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) opportunities, and bring manufacturing back to the State.

"The 'Made in Michigan Pipeline' shows how dependent we are on each other," said Christopher J. Webb, JD, FESD, ESD Institute Director. "Second it shows that individual programs however great, however funded, aren't enough to heal public policy fragmentation. It is a necessity to have a stable and predictable foundation in place to foster jobs and investment in order to achieve a better quality of life."

The plan's five-step initiative is as follows:

• Create a STEM program by the fall of 2012 built upon partnerships with MI's engineers and supported by MI employers.
• Call upon Governor Rick Snyder and the Legislature to enact the Michigan Investment Corporation Act before the next election. This act will create an authority with the power to lower the cost of doing business in Michigan by 30% without relying on tax or fiscal incentives.
• Bring back manufacturing to Michigan in order to attract the best pool of engineering talent. ESD will conduct a manufacturing symposium in 2012 bringing together business, organized labor and government.
• Implement construction best practices to drive out waste and realize immediate savings in all publicly-funded projects.
• Reduce healthcare costs by implementing the ESD Michigan Investment Corporation Act, which will create a first-tier health delivery system with defined coverage using best practices to give employers a break from out-of-control costs and yet still provide an offering to give security to their employees.

For details, visit www.esdinstitute.net or call 248-353-0735, ext. 112.

Founded in 1895, ESD is a multi-disciplinary society uniting engineering, scientific and allied professions to enhance professional development and foster excitement in math and science to produce our next generation of leaders. For more information, visit www.esd.org.

Founded in 2009, the ESD Institute is part of The Engineering Society of Detroit. Its mission is to bring together individuals of differing backgrounds, opinions and expertise to foster creative and independent thought and to deliver focused and consensus-based actions that can be adopted by policymakers in the private and public sectors around the world. For more information, visit www.esdinstitute.net

Contact: Della Cassia
Phone: 248-353-0735, ext. 112
E-mail: [email protected]

SOURCE Engineering Society of Detroit