[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 7]
[House]
[Page 9393]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1210
          CELEBRATING THE WORK OF TENNESSEE'S FOURTH DISTRICT

  (Mr. DesJARLAIS asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. DesJARLAIS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate and promote 
the work that is being done in Tennessee's Fourth District by 
Bridgestone North America, Motlow State Community College, members of 
the local manufacturing community, and local and State governments.
  Our economy is hindered by a skills gap that hurts both the 
businesses that need well-trained workers and those workers looking to 
better themselves and their families.
  Seeing this problem 5 years ago, Motlow Community College's 
president, Mary Lou Apple, set out to erase this skills gap. A 
mechatronics program was brought to Rutherford County which combined 
mechanical, electrical, and computerized curricula to allow local high 
school students the opportunity to gain high-demand skills in 
manufacturing, health care, and the financial industries.
  I recently toured the Bridgestone North America facility to see how 
these students are graduating from high school not only with college 
credit and technical credentials, but, most importantly, real world 
experience.
  I look forward to the great work this program and its students will 
continue to accomplish in the future, and certainly we need more like 
them.

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