Upcoming Events
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Austin
Polytech informational meeting for prospective
students
Wednesday, November 10
5:30 to 6:30 p.m.
Bethel New Life
1140 N. Lamon in Chicago
More information
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About Us |
The Chicago Manufacturing Renaissance
Council is a partnership of the region's labor, business,
government, education and community leaders working together to
establish the Chicago area as a global leader in advanced, high
value-added manufacturing.
Manufacturing is the
single most important sector of the Chicago area's economy. The
industry has the largest positive 'ripple effect' on the rest of
the economy: each manufacturing job creates three more in related
sectors. The industry is directly and indirectly responsible for
over 1.7 million jobs in Chicago.
The Renaissance Council's
flagship initiative is Austin Polytechnical
Academy (APA), an advanced manufacturing-focused public high
school on Chicago's west side that prepares students for leadership
in all areas of the industry.
APA students learn about careers in manufacturing by working with
our committed partner companies, who provide students with industry
exposure and financial support. Our partners contributed over
$150,000 to create our new Manufacturing Technology Center, a state
of the art on-campus machining facility where students can earn
industry-recognized credentials from the National Institute for
Metalworking Skills.
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Support
Us |
Your support makes our success possible.
We need your help to deliver the resources, networks, and programs
to help develop a skilled workforce and keep us on the cutting edge
of innovation.
Please make your check payable to the Center for Labor &
Community Research and mail it to us at 3411 West Diversey, Suite
10, Chicago, Illinois 60647. CLCR is the non-profit fiscal and
operational sponsor of the Chicago Manufacturing Renaissance
Council.
You can also contribute online securely through PayPal by clicking
below:
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Contact
Us |
3411 West Diversey, Suite 10
Chicago, Illinois 60647
P: 773-278-5418
F: 773-278-5918
chicagomanufacturing.org
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How
MEPs can help drive a manufacturing renaissance
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by
Dan
Swinney
Executive
Director
Starting new initiatives like Austin Polytech is an important
step toward establishing Chicagoland as the global leader in
advanced manufacturing, but it's equally important to support and
develop existing resources like the US Department of Commerce's
Manufacturing Extension Partnership
(MEP) program.
The primary focus of an MEP is to serve manufacturers with fewer
than 500 employees -- a key constituency of the Renaissance
Council. MEPs help these companies take advantage of opportunities
for growth and improvements in productivity. Last year, MEPs
nationwide worked with 31,961 manufacturers, providing assistance
that created or retained 52,948 jobs, produced $9.1 billion in new
and retained sales, and facilitated modernization investments
exceeding $1.71 billion.
Continue reading and leave a
comment
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Help spread the
word! APA info meeting on November 10
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Austin Polytech will hold an
informational meeting for prospective students to learn about our
program and how APA can help
Austin residents build their future in manufacturing.
Wednesday, November
10
5:30 to 6:30 p.m.
Bethel New Life - Amberg Hall
1140 N. Lamon, Chicago, IL 60651
Help us get the word out! If you know any students interested in
manufacturing and technology -- or any educators who work with
middle and high school students -- please share with them our website and/or event flyer.
Leave a comment
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Share, learn,
and discuss at ManufacturingRenaissance.org
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Do you have stories, opinions, or
information about manufacturing-related issues? Share them with the
world at ManufacturingRenaissance.org, a
new blog by the Renaissance
Council's fiscal and operational sponsor, CLCR.
ManufacturingRenaissance.org is a place for manufacturers,
policymakers, community developers, educators, and anyone else who
cares about manufacturing-related issues in Chicago and beyond.
It's a place to find resources, share manufacturing-related news,
and -- most importantly -- exchange ideas with a
manufacturing-conscious community about the issues affecting the
future of this critical industry.
We encourage everyone to submit content, including but certainly
not limited to:
- News stories or announcements
- Personal experiences in manufacturing
- Non-partisan opinion and commentary
- Links to interesting/helpful resources
- Content in a related area, like STEM education
If you'd like to contribute a post -- or become an author and
submit regularly -- please contact communications director Ingrid
Gon�alves at igoncalves@clcr.org or (773)
278-5418 ext. 16.
What did you think of this newsletter? Let us know by clicking the
"leave a comment" link at the
end of each story.
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The "most
exciting, moon-shot-quality, high-aspiration initiative... no one
has heard of"
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In his October 12 column, New
York Times columnist Thomas Friedman shed light on a proposed
initiative by President Obama to establish eight innovation hubs
across the country, where scientists and other experts can
collaborate on renewable energy research and innovation. The
program resembles a Renaissance Council proposed initiative, the Austin Renewable Energy Innovation
Park.
President Obama's version would jump-start research and development
in renewable energy, fueling rapid and collaborative technological
innovation. Friedman summarizes:
The idea behind the hubs, explained Chu, is to "capture
the same spirit" that produced radar and the first nuclear bomb.
That is, "get Nobel Prize winners in physics working side by side
with engineers" - not to produce an academic paper but "to solve a
problem in a way that will actually be deployed" and do it much
faster than the traditional academic model of everyone working in
their own silo.
The problem is that Congress, preoccupied with the deficit and
election season, is reluctant to allocate the $25 million required
to set up each innovation hub -- let alone the $1 billion required
to fund all eight. It's important to cut back on wasteful and
unnecessary expenses. However, legislators' short-sighted refusal
to invest in US technological leadership will end up costing us
dearly in the long run.
Now is the time to support growth-producing industries that drive
innovation, support manufacturing, and create long-term development
to keep us ahead in the future.
Leave a comment
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Press coverage
triple-whammy for Austin Polytech
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What do Chicago Tonight, The New York
Times, and the Chicago Tribune have in common? They
all featured great stories about Austin Polytech this
month.
On October 14, WTTW's acclaimed current affairs show, Chicago
Tonight, aired a segment about Austin Polytech
by Chicago News Cooperative reporter Ash-har Quraishi.
The segment complemented a New York Times feature
on APA, the first in a series of articles by Chicago News
Cooperative reporter Meribah Knight, who will be following three
seniors throughout the year.
A week later, the Chicago Tribune profiled
Austin Polytech as part of the Holiday Giving campaign by
Chicago Tribune Charities, a McCormick Foundation Fund.
Leave a
comment
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