Rep. Steny Hoyer (D: MD 5th, House Minority Whip) emphasized the need for skilled workers and American manufacturing during a visit to the College of Southern Maryland Center for Trades and Energy Training on Monday afternoon.

“A lot of young people here learning skills,” Hoyer said.  “(There are) welders, electricians, plumbers, carpenters.  They’re learning skills that the director indicated (are in demand).  We’ve got jobs available if the skill sets that people have are consistent with what people need.”

Hoyer emphasized a need to have a partnership between trade schools and businesses in the future, since trade schools could adequately train people for the workforce for much less than the cost of training through the individual companies.  Speaking to a group of Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) students, Hoyer said skilled workers in the HVAC force is a necessity these days.  Hoyer also said that he never understood the importance of welders until he started his “Make it in America” campaign.

Hoyer also talked about trade skill jobs being something younger people should look in to.

“We’ve got to let high school students know it would be worthwhile to go in to a trade,” Hoyer said.  “If we don’t make things in America, skill sets will be lost.”

Erica Verasko, 19, is an electrician student at CSM’s Center for Trades and Energy Training student.   “Younger kids need to know that a trade would be a good way to go,” Verasko said to Hoyer.

The stop to the CSM CTET was the second of three stops Hoyer made during the day, and his first of two stops in Waldorf.