Deputy Labor Secretary to Headline Immigration Roundtable Dayton Has 3:1 Ratio of Highly Skilled to Low-Skilled Immigrants
Release Date: Tuesday, July 28, 2015
Contact: Melissa Bertolo, Welcome Dayton Program Coordinator, 937-333-1422
The Welcome Dayton initiative will hold a roundtable discussion on opportunities and barriers for highly skilled new Americans on Wednesday, July 29, featuring Department of Labor Deputy Secretary Christopher P. Lu. The event will be held at 9:00 a.m. at Tech Town Building 2 (711 E. Monument Ave.).
Highly skilled immigrants are individuals who come to the United States with work authorization (often through refugee resettlement, diversity visas or family reunification) and have a foreign credential. Welcome Dayton has worked over the past three years with national and local partners to overcome barriers and find opportunities for these individuals in Dayton.
The potential for personal achievement and civic/economic contribution is strong among highly skilled immigrants. Among immigrants arriving in Dayton, the ratio of highly skilled to low-skilled is three to one, and immigrants are more than twice as likely to be entrepreneurs as the native local population, according to a report issued by Welcome Dayton and the Partnership for a New American Economy. Dayton’s population of foreign-born residents grew by more than 58 percent from 2009 to 2013.
Deputy Secretary Lu will be available to answer media questions at the conclusion of the roundtable discussion (approximately 10:30 a.m.).
Local official and community leaders expected to attend the roundtable event include Mayor Nan Whaley, Commissioner Matt Joseph and representatives of community partners as shown below:
Brigid Kelly, United Food and Commercial Workers
Kimberly Barrett, Vice President, Multicultural Affairs and Community Engagement, Wright State University
Cheryl Stuart, Career Services Director, Wright State University
Michael Colbert, Assistant Director, Montgomery County Jobs and Family Services
Katie Miller, ESOL Director, Kettering ABLE
Tom Maher, President, Manpower of Dayton
Cindy Currell, Director of Social Services, Catholic Social Services.