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Education, Talent are Primary Tech Concerns
Mass High Tech: The Journal of New England Technology - September 15, 2006
by Catherine Williams
Mass High Tech
Douglas Chabinsky of BAE Systems Inc. said he interviews between 10 and 50 people before making a job offer. As the engineering director for the company's Lexington unit, it's Chabinsky's job to hire engineers. And on the eve of the Bay State's Democratic gubernatorial primary, Chabinsky wishes there were more talk about science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education on the campaign trail.
"It's more than just math. Everybody says STEM is a great idea, but people seem to forget about the engineering and technology," said Chabinsky.
For Chabinsky, the relief to his hiring woes is an educated work force. He said he wants to see candidate support for STEM education and expanded state-sponsored training benefits. Technology industry leaders agree. While a handful of other issues ranging from tax incentives to housing, are getting attention, education tops the technology industry's list.
On Sept. 19, voters head to the polls to select a candidate for the top spot on the Democratic ticket. Christopher F. Gabrieli, Deval L. Patrick and Thomas F. Reilly are vying for the chance to run against Republican Lt. Gov. Kerry Healey, Independent Christy Mihos and Green-Rainbow candidate Grace Ross in November.
'Turn the spigot back on'
"The No. 1 issue we face is talent retention. The product in the state is brains," said Kevin O'Sullivan, president and CEO of Massachusetts Biomedical Initiatives (MBI) in Worcester.
O'Sullivan said he is concerned that MBI, a nonprofit dedicated to promoting emerging biomedical companies, won't be able to find the workers needed to fuel the companies it supports.
At BAE's Lexington unit, 365 full-time employees are tasked with manufacturing infrared thermal imaging cameras for military and commercial use. Work force development is important to Suzanne Daniels, a business development director who works with Chabinsky. She said she would like to see expansion of existing work force training grants. Of particular interest for Daniels is lean manufacturing training to help keep operating costs low.
O'Sullivan said candidates also need to address the high cost of housing in Massachusetts. "Smart growth," a state-sponsored opt-in housing development and municipal planning strategy, is a good way to address it, said O'Sullivan.
The state's leadership should also be willing to take a larger risk on state-funded competitive loan programs for emerging technology companies, said O'Sullivan. "We've got to wake up and turn the spigot back on," said O'Sullivan.
Business 'cheerleader'
The incoming governor must be a consistent business cheerleader for Massachusetts, said Brian Gilmore, the executive vice president public affairs at the Associated Industries of Massachusetts. But pom-poms and bullhorns can only go so far, he said.
"Business needs a predictable tax environment to make decisions to expand here, build new facilities or buy new equipment," said Gilmore.
But Kent Bradford, a vice president at Burlington-based SofCheck Inc., said in an e-mail, tax incentives geared towards larger companies won't help his software company. Bradford said he is more concerned with housing costs and access to transportation.
Tax incentives and nurturing technology clusters from robotics to nanotechnology should be a priority for the incoming governor, who will replace Republican Gov. Mitt Romney, said Christopher R. Anderson, president of the Massachusetts High Technology Council. Anderson cautioned against investments that benefit only selected sectors.
But Anderson said education should<
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