The REC Foundation is all about sparking student interest in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) by engaging them in affordable, hands-on robotics programs and competitions. Through these programs, students increase their technical abilities and workforce skills, preparing them for a bright future. Dan Mantz, Chief Executive Officer of the REC Foundation spent the majority of his career in industrial robotics and automation. He has seen firsthand how lives can be fundamentally chang...
Aug 03, 2022•47 min•Ep. 75
Manufacturers are putting more emphasis on diversity efforts than ever before, but are they working? Executives, if you want to build a more diverse leadership team, then look no further than your frontline workforce. And if you want to implement diversity practices that truly impact your frontline workers - the ones who stand to gain the most from these efforts - then you need to listen to this episode. Our host Matt Kirchner combines decades of manufacturing leadership experience with recent d...
Aug 02, 2022•19 min•Ep. 74
Careers in aerospace are out of this world! And thanks to the work being done by SpaceTEC, the aerospace technicians are being trained and certified for cutting-edge careers all over the U.S. SpaceTEC was launched as a National Science Foundation center to train aerospace workers. Led by Executive Director Steve Kane, the organization creates curriculum, resources and certifications to help training centers across the country prepare the workforce in their region for aerospace careers. In this e...
Jul 20, 2022•50 min•Ep. 73
Esports (short for electronic sports) is a fast-growing, multi-billion dollar worldwide phenomenon...and the opportunities for our students through esports are astounding. In this episode, we're talking with former California Teacher of the Year Alan Sitomer, who's now the Founder and CEO of Mastery Coding - an organization that's helping turn gamers into makers. We're taking a deep dive into the world of esports - what esports is all about, how schools are launching teams and even offering scho...
Jul 12, 2022•43 min•Ep. 72
Johnson Controls is on a mission to make buildings smarter and to transform the environments in which we live, work, learn and play. In this episode, we're talking with Marc Vandiepenbeeck, Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of North American Building Solutions at Johnson Controls. It's a fascinating discussion about the digitization of building controls, smart buildings, smart supply chains, and how digitization is impacting every aspect of the business, including finance. Get ready to ...
Jul 08, 2022•36 min•Ep. 71
"It's fulfilling to be manufacturing the products that people want to get work done , as we say. Our people take pride in the products we produce. It's meaningful work...The Briggs & Stratton brand is a legendary brand....The company is thriving and embracing new technologies and processes. Our team members are going to have a tremendous amount of growth and development opportunities. And let's face it, everybody likes being part of a winning team." -Steve Andrews, President & Chief Exec...
Jul 04, 2022•31 min•Ep. 70
"Today's modern manufacturing, it's not your father or mother, grandfather or grandmother's factories...Industry, 4.0 and the development of all of these technologies that are increasing automation, efficiency, productivity and our manufacturing plants, these create highly skilled job offer opportunities that generally pay very high wages with very strong benefits." - Jeff Oravitz, Seal for Life Industries Jeff Oravitz is a highly-successful manufacturing leader with decades of experience in bus...
Jun 21, 2022•37 min•Ep. 69
100Kin10 has taken up the bold goal of ending the STEM teacher shortage in the U.S. What started as a call to action from President Obama in 2011 has become a vast national network of educators, employers and nonprofits who are collaborating, innovating and sharing the resources that prepared over 100,000 STEM teachers in the last 10 years. In 2011, President Obama made a call for the U.S. to prepare 100,000 excellent STEM teaches in 10 years. At the time, the word "STEM" was not yet the common ...
Jun 09, 2022•40 min•Ep. 68
"If we're going to accelerate implementation and see those results in the near term and the long term...I think it takes visionary leadership and acceptance of being able to take some risks, be bold, be daring. Understand that sometimes if you take on a new initiative, or a new venture, it may not be as wildly successful as you could have imagined...But at the end of the day, it might be the thing that is the game changer for your company, for your community, for your region, here in Michigan." ...
Jun 06, 2022•35 min•Ep. 67
"We're in this new world: a disruptive world, a technologically-driven world...individuals at all walks of life need to understand technology and have those technical and digital skill sets. They need to be entrepreneurs and innovators. And they have to have a global perspective...So the idea is to reach 100 million learners over the next 10 years." -Sanjeev Khagram Arizona State University's Thunderbird School of Global Management has set an unprecedented goal: to reach 100 million global learn...
May 26, 2022•50 min•Ep. 66
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May 23, 2022•32 min•Ep. 65
"It's history that was just visible and palpable on the screen for us in 4k...as soon as we saw the the data coming up from the seabed, it was just pure exhilaration." - Tim Jacob We have a thrilling two-part series for you covering the Endurance22 Expedition to Antarctica...the hunt for the lost shipwreck of Ernest Shackleton. Our guest is Tim Jacob, Director of the Traveler Program at Reach the World , who was on board the S.A. Agulhas II as it searched for the wreck and shared this experience...
May 16, 2022•31 min•Ep. 64
We're back for part 2 of our discussion with a panel of thought leaders from iconic manufacturing brands to discuss how Industry 4.0 is transforming their operations, how the workforce is evolving, and how training and certifications can bridge the skills gap. Catch up on part 1 here: https://techedpodcast.com/manufacturing-leadership-panel/ This week is all about Industry 4.0 Education & Training Efforts with leaders from: Sargento Foods Ashley Furniture SC Johnson Rockwell Automation Smart...
May 10, 2022•29 min•Ep. 63
Over the next 2 episodes, we've gathered a panel of industry thought leaders from iconic manufacturing brands to discuss how Industry 4.0 is transforming their operations, how the workforce is evolving, and how training and certifications can bridge the skills gap. This week is all about Industry 4.0 Technology in Manufacturing with leaders from: Harley-Davidson Plexus Generac Greenheck Kohler 3 Big Takeaways from this episode: SACA certifications are built by industry: In an effort to close the...
May 04, 2022•27 min•Ep. 62
Today's features. Tomorrow's technology. Gentex Corporation is built on a culture of innovation, developing cutting-edge technologies for automotive, aerospace and commercial fire protection industries. In this episode, we're talking with Gentex President and CEO Steve Downing about what it takes to build a culture of innovation, and the kinds of career opportunities in a technology company. 3 Big Takeaways from this episode: Tier 1 & 2 suppliers are leading innovation: You may hear news fro...
Apr 25, 2022•35 min•Ep. 61
Would you believe we're 90-95% of the way to solving the self-driving car challenge?! Researchers, like Srikanth Saripalli, are building and testing some of the most complex vehicles, sensor systems and algorithms that are enabling us to advance autonomous vehicle technology faster and faster. Dr. Sri Saripalli is the Director of the Center for Autonomous Vehicles and Sensor Systems at Texas A&M University, where his research takes his team into both the on-road and off-road sides of self-dr...
Apr 19, 2022•39 min•Ep. 60
What skills do today's students need to be successful in tomorrow's advanced manufacturing workforce? Our host Matt Kirchner was recently a guest on the NSF-funded podcast " Preparing Technicians for the Future of Work, " where he sat down with Michael Lesiecki to discuss this very question. The conversation covers all things relevant to technical education and the industrial workforce. So educators, employers and public policy makers...be prepared to take notes on how we can prepare our student...
Apr 12, 2022•25 min•Ep. 59
We want to hear from you! Send us a text. Instagram - Facebook - YouTube - TikTok - Twitter - LinkedIn...
Mar 29, 2022•27 min•Ep. 58
David Noyce has spent his entire career researching transportation - in areas like advanced traffic operations, understanding driver behavior, and innovative technology like vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communication. In this episode, we're talking all about the future of smart transportation and the research being done across the country to bring transportation into the realm of smart cities. Cutting-Edge Transportation Research For decades, Noyce has been performing cutting...
Mar 22, 2022•36 min•Ep. 57
Governor Tony Evers of Wisconsin is known as "The Education Governor." Having spent his career as a school teacher, principal, district superintendent and Wisconsin Superintendent of Public Instruction, Governor Evers has a depth of insight into education that we tapped into on this episode of the podcast. In this episode... Connecting the Dots "What's best for our kids is best for our state" - a motto Governor Evers stands by as the state makes decisions about education, supporting our communit...
Mar 10, 2022•21 min•Ep. 56
What's the best tool for giving underserved populations an opportunity for economic mobility, an incredible career, and financial stability? Apprenticeship. Joshua Johnson lives and breathes this mission as the Director for the Innovation Hub for Diversity, Equity, Inclusivity and Accessibility in Registered Apprenticeships at Jobs for the Future . He has a passion for creating awareness around the life-changing power of apprenticeship - evidenced by his own inspiring life story (which you'll ge...
Mar 02, 2022•48 min•Ep. 55
Michigan has some big plans to reinvigorate their workforce. The Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity is ready to meet the challenge. We sat down with LEO's Director Susan Corbin to talk about her unique department, where workforce development and economic development are aligned and working together. At the forefront of our discussion is Governor Gretchen Whitmer's Sixty by 30 goal, which seeks to increase the number of working-age adults with a skill certificate or college degree towar...
Feb 22, 2022•41 min•Ep. 54
The University of Michigan is the first top 10 engineering school in the U.S. to launch a Department of Robotics . With its hands-on, innovative approach, the university is preparing today's students to become tomorrow's roboticists. We sat down with Damen Provost, Managing Director of the U-M Robotics Institute to talk about the exciting field of robotics and the cutting-edge research being done in Michigan. Roboticists What is a roboticist? From industrial robots, to bideps, to aerial drones, ...
Feb 14, 2022•42 min•Ep. 53
The Milwaukee Bucks ' 2021 NBA Championship run was a historic feat 50 years in the making. Tens of thousands of fans watched from inside Fiserv Forum and just outside in the Deer District. The energy, enthusiasm and spirit of the team and the fans were unequaled in the championships... And all of the technology that kept everything running - from connectivity to WiFi, digital displays and data analytics to national media - was made possible thanks to Bucks' Chief Technology and Strategy Officer...
Feb 06, 2022•45 min•Ep. 52
Generac's revenue has grown 6x since Aaron Jagdfeld took over as CEO in 2008. The company saw 50% growth in 2021 alone. How did they achieve this incredible growth, and how does that impact business decisions moving forward? Rethink Manufacturing 50% year-over-year growth is an incredible accomplishment, but it's not without its challenges. How did Generac meet increased demand for products - especially in a state that's facing record-breaking unemployment lows? The organization had to rethink m...
Jan 31, 2022•27 min•Ep. 51
The energy sector is facing major (and exciting) disruption in the coming years, and it's going to impact every single business, home and individual in meaningful ways. We sat down with Aaron Jagdfeld, CEO of Generac (GNRC), a leading manufacturer of power solutions, to get his expert insights into innovations taking place in the energy ecosystem and the impact this will all have on consumers. The Energy Company of the Future What does the energy company of tomorrow look like? Aaron gives us the...
Jan 24, 2022•31 min•Ep. 50
Manufacturing technology in 2022 is mind-blowing. Smart manufacturing, digital twins, artificial intelligence, fully autonomous systems, all kinds of high-tech hardware and software integrated together...and yet...there's still a very common misconception that manufacturing is dark, dirty and dangerous. How do we change the face of advanced manufacturing and help parents and students see how amazing these careers are? Industrial Entertainment. Scott MacKenzie, host of Industrial Talk , is a manu...
Jan 19, 2022•42 min•Ep. 49
How do we give all students a chance at the American Dream? How do we fill all the open skilled jobs in the workforce? The 1-2-7 Rule just might be the solution. Leading districts are analyzing workforce data to help them understand where the career opportunities for their students are, and what skills and credentials are needed for those pathways. Dave Campbell, Superintendent of the Kalamazoo Regional Educational Service Agency ( KRESA ) has utilized this data in his district to develop what h...
Jan 04, 2022•46 min•Ep. 48
Host Matt Kirchner ran manufacturing companies for 23 years and has now been in the world of tech ed for 6 years. He's using his wealth of knowledge and experience leading companies for decades to predict what today's leaders and educators must pay attention to this coming year. We're preparing to see some major disruptions in 2022, in education, in the workforce, in our economic models, and certainly in technology. We've compiled all this data into 15 predictions to help you as you strategicall...
Dec 28, 2021•45 min•Ep. 47
Decades ago, great monolithic companies ruled manufacturing - these were the household names, the brands where everyone knew someone who worked there. Tim Sullivan led such companies - ones like Bucyrus, the REV Group and Gardner Denver. In 2021, the manufacturing sector looks much different. While some of these great companies are still around, more and more production work has moved to small-to-midsize businesses and tier one suppliers. And the challenge is, these SMBs can't find the workers t...
Dec 15, 2021•41 min•Ep. 46
