There\u2019s another side to the doom-and-gloom scenario of empty factories and unemployment lines left over from Niagara\u2019s once-booming large-scale manufacturing sector.<\/p>\n
The upside: increased employment; lucrative exports; innovative approaches.<\/p>\n
The manufacturing sector may look very different than in days gone by, but it\u2019s still a force to be reckoned with, says new research from Brock University\u2019s Niagara Community Observatory (NCO).<\/p>\n
The NCO\u2019s policy brief, \u201cShifting Gears: Examining the recent upswing of Niagara\u2019s manufacturing sector,\u201d contains statistics on employment and exports, and characteristics of the sector that have evolved to support Niagara\u2019s emerging economy over the past six years.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe general trend is that manufacturing has been very resilient, has stayed in the region and, in fact, has seen an upswing since 2012, so there\u2019s a bit of a wind in our sails,\u201d says brief co-author, NCO Director Charles Conteh.<\/p>\n
He and co-author Sean Calcott, a recent master\u2019s graduate in the Department of Political Science, will be presenting the policy brief at Brock University on Thursday, Sept. 27.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe sector has made tremendous strides over the past several years,\u201d says Calcott. \u201cRather than lament where manufacturing has gone, we need to ask ourselves where it\u2019s going to take us next.\u201d<\/p>\n
The event, co-hosted by the Department of Political Science Speaker Series, will include a panel discussion with business and Niagara Region representatives.<\/p>\n