MAG Comments at Education Nation Summit

MAG IAS's extensive experience with workforce development at all levels earned the company a front row seat as expert commentator on a panel discussion about the value of higher education, during NBC News' Education Nation summit in New York City, September 25, 2011. MAG Global Services President Bill Horwarth, himself a former co-op student with MAG in 1988 was one of three people selected as front-row guests to provide feedback in the panel discussion, "A Matter of Degrees – Measuring the Value of Higher Education," moderated by Andrea Mitchell, NBC News' chief foreign correspondent. The nine panelists included Dr. G. Edward Hughes, President of Gateway Community & Technical College, Park Hills, KY, a partner in MAG's apprenticeship program.

The panel session examined the value of higher education in today's economy and the role of the college-completion crisis in the "preparation gap" that needs to be overcome in the nation's workforce. When asked by Mitchell to cite the primary advantage of the MAG/Gateway apprenticeship program, Horwarth stressed the importance of replacing an aging manufacturing workforce with qualified individuals. "It's difficult to find people with the mechanical and electrical skills required for high-tech manufacturing," said Horwarth. "This program allows MAG to fill its pipeline with highly trained people prepared for the future."

Students in the apprenticeship program work full-time at MAG in addition to taking college classes at Gateway, working toward an Associate’s degree. MAG invests approximately $200,000, including 100% tuition reimbursement, salary and benefits, for each apprentice earning a degree.

MAG was also recently named a partner in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's (MIT) Leadership for Global Operations (LGO) program. MIT is the preeminent technical institute in the U.S., and the LGO is the nation’s leading dual-degree graduate program in engineering and management, equipping students with a Master's of Business Administration from the MIT Sloan School of Management and a Master of Science from one of seven programs within the MIT School of Engineering. The company also has co-operative education programs with a number of well-known regional and national engineering schools, and offers training opportunities and sponsorship at many international universities. MAG's internal workforce development programs include Future Leaders and the Accelerated Leadership Program.

The Education Nation summit featured some of the nation's most recognized leaders, including former President Bill Clinton, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, Warren Buffett, and Melinda Gates of the Gates Foundation. The purpose of the annual summit is to provide a thoughtful, well-informed dialog with policymakers, thought leaders, educators, parents and the public in pursuit of the shared goal of providing every American with an opportunity to have the best education in the world.