The panel on which I am speaking is on the new models of employment and contemporary issues on workplace relations. Speakers present a variety of papers on issues such as skills debate in manufacturing, the role of unions in promoting and providing welfare and occupational structures.
2) What is one key takeaway that someone will be able to implement in their workplace after going to your session?
This panel exclusively focuses on contemporary issues in variety of workplaces. Attendees would leave the session with a good grasp of the current problems workers suffer from in various sectors along with challenging proposals for alternatives.
3) It’s ILR’s 70th Anniversary. Any predictions about how your research might influence the next generation and their World of Work?
My work deals with one significant aspect of contemporary manufacturing in what I call the reindustrializing America. With the growing emphasis on reviving manufacturing base in the U.S., especially in the industrial Rust Belt, a new debate on skills is emerging. Whether these industries need certain skills and/or offer routes to attain them are major issues dealt with at many levels. My work, focusing on auto industry specifically, sheds light on the composition of skills as well as the economic and political background of the debate. I believe my work is very relevant to contemporary debates and hopefully would have some influence in the wider ILR community.
4) How has participating in LERA enhanced your experience at ILR?
This will be my second participation to the LERA meeting, which is the premier conference in our field. I learned extensively from the sessions I attended last year, also had a chance to meet with a wide variety of academic and professionals with similar interests and to have inspiring conversations. It was also impressive to see ILR’s strong presence at the conference. ILR School is a significant part of the meeting and I am happy to be part of it.