NASHUA — Concerned about the nation's jobs climate, business and education leaders gathered last week to discuss the future of America's young people in the manufacturing field.

They joined a growing section of Americans who fear that students are graduating without proper skills for today's work force, and that jobs remain open with no qualified young people to fill them, despite falling unemployment. According to the Labor Department, the number of factory jobs waiting to be filled climbed to 326,000 in March, the most since 2007.

Bill Symonds, keynote speaker for Thursday's manufacturing summit at Nashua Community College, said about half of all young adults could be left behind because they are not properly prepared to succeed after high school or college.

Symonds is the director of Harvard University's “Pathways to Prosperity: Meeting the Challenge of Preparing Young Americans for the 21st Century” program. He said there is a mismatch between education and the economy, which must be addressed to help improve the future of young adults.

It is an American issue that crosses party lines, said Symonds, who is on a mission to share his findings with every state in the country.

The United States is now in danger of facing a “wasted generation,” he said, explaining that teens and young adults are not finding jobs, with the 20- to 24-age category especially struggling to find its way into the work force.

The definition of success needs to be changed in New Hampshire and throughout the nation, according to Symonds, who said skills and meaningful credentials can be achieved through various methods — not just a four-year college degree.

“Community and technical colleges should not be seen as a second-class option,” he stressed, adding that this is a “pervasive problem” that should be shut down.

Manufacturing jobs should be viewed in a positive light, not seen as dead industry, as many Americans believe, he said.

According to Symonds, despite two decades of reform, high school graduation rates have not changed much. There are still too many dropouts, and among young people who do opt to attend college only 40 percent of Americans have earned an associate degree or higher by the age of 27.

In addition, half of American workers make less than $30,000 a year.

Symonds quoted other statistics that explain how about 36 percent of U.S. jobs require a high school degree or less, 33 percent require a bachelor's degree or better, and 30 percent require some type of college courses or associate degree.

But there are tens of thousands of manufacturing jobs waiting for skilled, trained young workers, and Symonds is encouraging legislators, educators and businesses to work together to enable young people to obtain the training for those important jobs.

About 160 people attended Thursday's summit. Besides Symonds, other featured speakers included Gov. John Lynch, Department of Resources and Economic Development Commissioner George Bald and Brenda Dann-Messier, assistant secretary of the U.S. Department of Education.

“Manufacturers tell us this is one of their most pressing issues, and they are concerned about the shortage of young workers with advanced manufacturing skills,” said Christopher Way, interim director of the Division of Economic Development.

“This industry plays such an important role in our economy, and it's up to educators, business groups, parents and communities to make sure it remains vibrant and viable.”

Zenagui Brahim, executive director of the New Hampshire Manufacturing Partnership, said in a news release that manufacturing raises four times more revenue than tourism, the state's second largest industry, adding that manufacturing accounts for 95 percent of all New Hampshire exports, which, since 2003, have grown three times faster than the state's overall economy.