Bellingham Technical College is hosting a free Manufacturing Summit from 7:30 a.m. to noon on Tuesday, March 4, at Settlemeyer Hall on the college’s campus.

The free event will including presentations and discussion on how industry, education and policy leaders can address a broadening skills gap in the region’s manufacturing workforce and develop better ways to increase the number of college graduates prepared to enter the manufacturing industry.

Jennifer McNelly, president of The Manufacturing Institute, a nonprofit affiliate of the National Association of Manufacturers, is the keynote speaker. Additional speakers include Kris Johnson, president and CEO of the Association of Washington Business; Amy Johnson, a strategic consultant for the Association of Washington Business Institute; Laura Hopkins, executive director of the Aerospace Joint Apprenticeship Committee; and Anneliese Vance-Sherman, a regional labor economist with the Washington State Employment Security Department.

Registration can be completed online at www.btcsummit.eventbrite.com.