A new report by the Brookings Institution has found that Baltimore's high-tech manufacturing sector is growing, with 27 percent of jobs calling for workers with experience in the skilled trades with some knowledge of computers and electronics.
According to the report, business leaders in the Baltimore area should begin focusing on building the industry rather than thinking that the previously shrinking sector is a dying field, the Baltimore Sun reports.
The Washington think tank is also calling on business leaders to offer expanded career opportunities for skilled and unskilled workers without a four-year college degree.
"If the goal is to have shared prosperity, it's not enough merely to provide good opportunities for college-educated, white-collar professionals," Baltimore economist Anirban Basu told the news outlet.
Researchers also suggested that state and local leaders take the lead to help support the creation of more manufacturing jobs in the region.
"If you're really going to promote manufacturing in an effective way, you need to understand what assets a community starts with," report co-author Susan R. Helper noted.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that job opportunities for electrical and electronic engineering technicians will be best for those with an associates degree from a career training college.
