The TechEd Podcast

Precision Plus is no stranger to the skilled labor shortage that manufacturers all over the US are facing. While technical education is working hard to train students with the right knowledge and skills for these careers, there's more work that needs to be done. "It's time to step up," notes Mike Reader, President of Precision Plus, our guest in this episode of The TechEd Podcast. Mike also considers himself a Chief Problem Solver & Workforce Development Advocate, as evidenced by his organization's work to bring education and manufacturing together to solve the skills gap. Years ago, Precision Plus took ownership of their ability to engage with education and build a pipeline of talent in the region. Mike shares his experiences in this endeavor, including:How to attract talent with clean, high-tech, advanced facilities using the latest in Swiss machining technologyCommunicating to educators exactly what hard skills students will need as automation increases in manufacturingThe strategy behind hiring a Director of Education for his own employeesWhy industry should invest in their region's technical and community collegesHow to engage as a company with local parents and students, even as young as middle schoolWhy it's critical for universities to provide experiential and work-based learning opportunities to their studentsWe want to hear from you! Send us a text.Instagram - Facebook - YouTube - TikTok - Twitter - LinkedIn

IT isn't just for large corporations anymore. In today's digitized world, every nonprofit, small and medium business must learn to deploy technology to remain competitive. But it's not just the technology that builds a great business. In this episode, we're talking with Patrick Booth, CEO of CCB Technology, who shares with us the formula for IT success in any organization. His years of leadership experience with his own team has taught him that even the best tools won't do us any good unless we have the right people and the right processes in place.You'll hear Patrick's insights about:How today's rapidly-evolving technology landscape is different than 30 years agoWhy SMBs are using IT services to become as efficient as large corporationsWhy manufacturing operations teams must collaborate with their IT teamsHow to develop a team culture that relies on data to best serve customersHow education should prepare students for a highly-technical workforceWe want to hear from you! Send us a text.Instagram - Facebook - YouTube - TikTok - Twitter - LinkedIn

Four-time Wisconsin Governor, US Secretary of Health and Human Services, and Wisconsin icon Tommy Thompson is bringing a fresh perspective to education in his new role as UW System President.In an enlightening conversation, Governor Thompson shares why universities should be the problem-solvers of the future. Our discussion covers new ideas for how this can be accomplished, including:Why bolstering STEM and TechEd programs is keySolving business problems by collaborating with the universitiesProviding college education and a career opportunity for prison inmatesHarnessing students' creativity to innovate new solutions in agriculture, engineering, water science and moreWe want to hear from you! Send us a text.Instagram - Facebook - YouTube - TikTok - Twitter - LinkedIn

"Highly-cohesive, highly-trained teams, enabled by advanced technology striving to accomplish outsized objectives." So describes both military special operations and advanced manufacturing operations.Bill Berrien, former SEAL Team Commander, CEO of Pindel Global Precision and Founder of PRODx joins us for a fascinating interview. Listen to hear his insights into:How leading one of the world's most elite military teams is similar to running a highly advanced manufacturing organizationHow the digitization of manufacturing is disrupting the way we design, produce and ship productsThe importance of partnering with and investing in educationThe keys to enabling your workforce to continue training, learning and growingHow "Global Manufacturing's 9-1-1" is providing a crucial network of hyper-qualified partners for immediate demand productionWe want to hear from you! Send us a text.Instagram - Facebook - YouTube - TikTok - Twitter - LinkedIn

There's an orange Ariens snowblower on every continent on the planet. But did you know the Ariens Company is a four-generation family owned manufacturer in the small town of Brillion, Wisconsin?Dan Ariens, Chairman and CEO of the Ariens Company and Executive Board Member of the Green Bay Packers, shares how the company's investment in Brillion, education and lean manufacturing is what made them the global leader they are today. In this episode, Dan shares insights into:How lean and continuous improvement are essential to every manufacturerWhat Industry 4.0 technologies they're using in their process and how that has optimized productionThe importance of apprenticeships and work-based learning for studentsWhy businesses should take ownership of the skills gap problemHow education should engage their industry partners in STEM and Tech Ed projectsWhat the Green Bay Packers organization can teach us about businessThe importance of investing in our ecosystem and sustaining natural resourcesWe want to hear from you! Send us a text.Instagram - Facebook - YouTube - TikTok - Twitter - LinkedIn

As the largest furniture manufacturer in the world, Ashley Furniture Industries is always on the leading edge of business, technology and workforce training. The organization has invested heavily in understanding the changes  Industry 4.0 is bringing to the world of work, adopting those technologies and processes, and preparing a talent pipeline to work in their highly-advanced facilities.In this episode, we speak with Todd Wanek, CEO of Ashley Furniture Industries.For nearly 20 years, Todd has led the company into the future. You'll hear his insights about:How Industry 4.0 technologies are disrupting manufacturing, retail and the global supply chainHow to remain relevant in an ever-evolving marketThe importance of continuously reskilling incumbent employeesAshley Furniture's investment into education and preparing students for an Industry 4.0 workforceWe want to hear from you! Send us a text.Instagram - Facebook - YouTube - TikTok - Twitter - LinkedIn

Ashley Furniture Industries is the #1 furniture manufacturer in the world, employing thousands of hard-working individuals across America and worldwide. The organization takes part in the entire furniture-making process - from raw material production to engineering to advanced manufacturing, supply chain and retail.In this episode, we speak with Ron Wanek, Founder and Chairman of Ashley Furniture Industries, a man who has truly lived the American Dream. From humble beginnings on a family farm near Winona, Minnesota, Ron built Ashley Furniture into the global leader it is today.Ron shares how he grew the company over the last six decades and shares insights into:How finding good mentors early on is a key to successThe need to remain on the cutting-edge of technology in a competitive international marketHow to inspire leaders and employees through change and continuous improvementThe importance of investing in training and educationWe want to hear from you! Send us a text.Instagram - Facebook - YouTube - TikTok - Twitter - LinkedIn

As the world's largest robotics & CNC company, FANUC exists to solve engineering challenges. Whether that's automating a production facility or preparing learners to work in an automated workplace, FANUC has created a solution.As our economy becomes more automated, every high school, college and university should be teaching students on authentic industrial robots and CNC machines...the kind of technology they're going to see in the workforce.In this episode, we're talking with Mike Cicco, the President and CEO of FANUC America. Mike shares insights every educator should hear, including:What the job market will be for skilled robotics technicians in the coming yearsHow robotics is disrupting manufacturing, e-commerce, automotive and moreFANUC's CERT program for schoolsInnovations in collaborative robot technologyHow AI and machine learning are impacting automationHow CNC-driven processes are evolvingWe want to hear from you! Send us a text.Instagram - Facebook - YouTube - TikTok - Twitter - LinkedIn

Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana has innovated an education model like none other. This singly-accredited statewide college has the ability to offer identical programs at any location in perfect synchronicity with the workforce needs of the region. In this episode, we interview Dr. Sue Ellspermann, Ivy Tech's President and Chris Lowery, the college's Vice President of Workforce and Careers. They share their secrets to preparing thousands of students for high-wage, high-demand careers across any sector. You'll learn about:How Ivy Tech is achieving the Lumina goal: 60 percent of Indiana's workforce holding a degree or certificate by the year 2025The value of a VP of Workforce and Careers working alongside the ProvostHow a singly-accredited college can more efficiently respond to workforce demands across the entire stateHow industry-recognized certificates and micro-credentials are changing technical educationHow technology, continuous training and hybrid learning will disrupt education in the coming yearsWe want to hear from you! Send us a text.Instagram - Facebook - YouTube - TikTok - Twitter - LinkedIn

In today's rapidly-advancing economy, having job-ready hard skills is often more valuable than an academic degree. Technical education is the key to producing a workforce that has both the knowledge and the skillset to excel in the workplace.Our guest this week has done incredible work to advance technical education and workforce training in the US."Work and Learn" is a model of education Emily DeRocco has been advocating for for decades in her work in the US Department of Labor and with the Manufacturing Institutes. No matter if the learner is active duty military personnel, an inner-city high schooler, or a young girl interested in STEM - Emily has worked to provide programs for them.In this episode, you'll hear about disruptive programs that utilize a "work and learn" model, including:Operation NextIndustry-Recognized Apprenticeship Programs (IRAPs)The Manufacturing InstitutesLIFT and the IGNITE: Mastering Manufacturing programWe want to hear from you! Send us a text.Instagram - Facebook - YouTube - TikTok - Twitter - LinkedIn