From capital budgets to strategic initiatives from federal and state governments, to grants and industry support, educators have countless potential funding opportunities to keep their programs up to date. Grand Rapids Community College, led by President Dr. Charles Lepper, is putting many of these funding opportunities to work for the benefit of their students. Hear how the college has build a strong partnership with Gentex (among other employers) that has benefitted both parties. Learn how the...
May 21, 2024•38 min•Ep. 165
Building a better future for our students is going to take the combined efforts of educators, employers and community leaders. The Greater Milwaukee Committee is on a mission to do just that, bringing together the most influential leaders and organizations in Milwaukee to solve some of the toughest challenges facing the city. Joel Brennan leads the organization and joined us in the studio to talk about the role of public-private partnerships between educational institutions and businesses to add...
May 14, 2024•37 min•Ep. 164
Discovery World isn't just a science museum. It's an iconic Milwaukee destination that inspires generations of learners to discover the wonders of science through hands-on STEM experiences. Through their exhibits, camps, community programs and curriculum offerings, Discovery World is making a major impact on learners and families all across the Milwaukee region, reaching underserved populations and creating extra opportunities for STEM experiences beyond what the classroom can provide. In this e...
May 07, 2024•54 min•Ep. 163
With the pace of change in this new world of work, companies need to start rethinking outdated approaches to continuing education benefits and employee upskilling programs. Traditional benefits like tuition reimbursement and assistance just won't cut it. InStride is disrupting that model. Their unique approach to lifelong learning is helping companies see: 226% ROI over three years for every dollar invested 92% annual retention (vs. 63% of employees that don't participate) 3x promotion rate for ...
Apr 30, 2024•36 min•Ep. 162
If we want to fill all the skilled positions our workforce has open, it's going to take aligning business needs with educational programs at all levels. With experience at the U.S. Department of Education, Dr. Casey Sacks has seen best practices in creating this kind of alignment. In her current role as President of BridgeValley Community and Technical College, she emphasizes the need for collaboration between colleges, employers, and K-12 schools to ensure that students are aware of and prepare...
Apr 23, 2024•38 min•Ep. 161
What if we valued skills and competencies more than degrees? As President of Bismarck State College, Dr. Jensen sees education as an economic investment, where the skills a student has upon graduation are far more important than degrees and certifications. A competency-first approach to higher education requires disrupting the traditional model. In this episode, we talk about the components that drive competency-based education, including: How to incorporate credit for prior learning Giving indu...
Apr 16, 2024•40 min•Ep. 160
While colleges across the U.S. are worried about declining enrollment, Lake Area Technical College in South Dakota is expanding. President Tiffany Sanderson sees the value in building a vision so big, so bold that other organizations can't help but want to get involved. And in a state like South Dakota that is seeing faster than average population growth, now is the time for expansion! In this episode, you'll discover how expanding an organization can energize the staff, customers, students and ...
Apr 09, 2024•39 min•Ep. 159
Are you a budding entrepreneur with a great business idea? Have you always wanted to start a company in the tech space, but don't know where to start? Get great advice on launching your own tech company as you listen to our conversation with Amber Busuttil Mullen, partner at Bowen Tax Law. Amber has spent her career helping executives in their businesses and knows that tech is everywhere! From cosmetics to fabrics, ice cream to athletics, there's an application for every technology idea. So if y...
Apr 02, 2024•42 min•Ep. 158
Funding, filling programs, and finding partners in industry - these are three challenges facing technical colleges across the country. And a great solution to all these challenges: industry-sponsored programs. North Dakota State College of Science has an incredible Diesel Technology program that partners with the biggest brands in agricultural equipment like John Deere, Case, Komatsu and Caterpillar to offer hands-on, career-relevant learning on the latest equipment being used in the workforce t...
Mar 26, 2024•32 min•Ep. 157
Peter Rathmann is an advocate for neurodiversity in the manufacturing workforce. As CEO of Allis Manufacturing, he's built a culture that gives these individuals the tools for a successful career. As a father, he's seen his own daughter Emma, who has Asperger's Syndrome, find passion in a manufacturing job. Now, Peter joins us on the podcast to shed light on the great value these individuals can bring to the manufacturing workforce. If you're a manufacturer who can't find people to fill your ope...
Mar 19, 2024•42 min•Ep. 156
What if your company had a digital library of every single drawing, from the newest designs to 100-year-old hand-drawn copies for parts still in use? What if this digital file system was powered by artificial intelligence and could read not just the text on each drawing, but could actually understand all the data (material types, revisions, even identify similar drawings)? That's exactly what Yushiro Kato and the team at CADDi have done with their groundbreaking software. This AI-enabled platfor...
Mar 12, 2024•38 min•Ep. 155
What does the future of disease research look like? How can artificial intelligence help researchers make new discoveries faster? How can medical professionals synthesize the vast amounts of patient data to offer the best, most personalized care possible These are some of the questions we explore with Dr. Julie Panepinto, who leads the National Institutes of Health's Division of Blood Diseases and Resources In this episode, we dive deep in to the Science part of STEM to learn about the latest ad...
Mar 05, 2024•44 min•Ep. 154
Higher education is facing an enrollment cliff. Or, as Augustana University President Stephanie Herseth Sandlin puts it, a "consumption cliff." Not only are there fewer students for universities to recruit, there are also fewer students even considering enrolling in post-secondary education. In this episode, we discuss some of the ways private universities can hedge against these upcoming challenges. STEM education - when integrated into a traditional liberal arts model - can play a vital role i...
Feb 27, 2024•47 min•Ep. 153
Get ready to start your AI journey in manufacturing! We sat down with industry visionary Todd Wanek, CEO of Ashley Furniture Industries, to get his best practices for developing an AI strategy. According to Wanek, businesses have 3-5 years to figure out AI, or get left behind. Fortunately for us, Ashley Furniture - the world's largest furniture manufacturer with 35,000 employees globally - has already started their AI journey. Their efforts have resulted in a 20-30% improvement in product foreca...
Feb 19, 2024•53 min•Ep. 152
How can we better serve students in a city like Milwaukee, where 50% of students attend mediocre or failing schools, and only 65% of students even graduate high school? This data isn't anomalous; urban regions across the U.S. are failing our students, creating systems lacking in hope and opportunity for our kids. One school in Milwaukee has found tremendous success by taking a holistic approach to K-12 education - one where the whole student is served, mind, body and soul. Abby Andrietsch, CEO o...
Feb 13, 2024•59 min•Ep. 151
Every student should have access to the educational opportunities they need to pursue the careers they're passionate about - and that means removing as many financial barriers as possible. When it comes to students attending technical and community colleges, often these financial barriers look much different than those faced by a traditional university student. And yet of the 1,500 applications the SME Education Foundation receives each year for their $1 million+ in scholarship funds, only 5% of...
Feb 06, 2024•37 min•Ep. 150
The traditional K-12 education model in America - one that's remain unchanged for decades - no longer serves our students like it should. It's an inadequate system that needs to be disrupted, and superintendent Justin Wagner and his team at Woodbine Community School District decided to take action to change it. Hear how they built a new model centered around involved, relevant and personalized learning. One that focuses on student voice and choice and gets the parents involved. One that's seen t...
Jan 30, 2024•59 min•Ep. 149
GrayMatter Robotics is revolutionizing industrial automation, powering their robots with artificial intelligence as we enter the age of the "digital worker." We sat down with Co-Founder and CEO Ariyan Kabir to hear just how innovative their approach to automation is. What makes them so unique? GrayMatter Robotics is a company that develops AI software for robots, focusing on surface finishing and treatment applications in manufacturing. These are some of the most difficult processes to automate,...
Jan 23, 2024•55 min•Ep. 148
Autonomous trucks, robotics and AI are revolutionizing the mining industry...and now engineering students of all disciplines are being prepared for these fascinating careers at South Dakota Mines! Dr. Jim Rankin, President of the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology (often called South Dakota Mines) discusses the institution's focus on STEM education and its impact on the mining and mineral industries. SDSMT is one of only five universities in the U.S. to have all three mineral industry d...
Jan 16, 2024•38 min•Ep. 147
Skilled talent is in high demand - in every industry. Caliber Collision is facing the shortage in the automotive collision repair industry, where they estimate 30% of the market needs are being unmet due to a lack of technicians. Eddie Hightower leads Caliber's sustainability & social responsibility efforts, which includes the company's Technician Apprentice Program, designed to address the shortage of trained technicians in the industry. We sat down with Eddie to learn just what makes this ...
Jan 09, 2024•38 min•Ep. 146
It's the start of a new year, and that means...our annual predictions episode is here! Host Matt Kirchner shares the top 9 trends & technologies that will impact the world of technical education in 2024. How exactly will AI impact the way we teach, the way students learn, and how we do business in 2024? What will happen with the ever-growing shortage of skilled talent? How will the enrollment cliff affect higher education? What's the latest-and-greatest advancements in tech that our nation's...
Jan 02, 2024•39 min•Ep. 145
Technical and community colleges not just degree factories; they're the solution to meeting the shifting demands of the workforce while creating economic and social mobility for individuals. In this episode of the podcast, we're joined by Dr. Lori Suddick, President of the College of Lake County, to dive into this important topic of education-industry alignment. CLC is positioned at the heart of the Midwestern manufacturing corridor, where large, globally integrated companies in manufacturing, s...
Dec 26, 2023•47 min•Ep. 144
Ever wondered how a seventh-grade engineering camp can ignite a lifelong passion for STEM? Alyssa Sanders, Associate Director of Research and Development Engineering at Baxter, is living proof of just that. This week's episode is a fascinating discussion about the role of innovation in an engineering career. Managing a diverse, global team of engineers, Alyssa is an expert on innovation, product development and manufacturing, and highlights the importance of understanding market needs, meticulou...
Dec 19, 2023•28 min•Ep. 143
We went in search of the most cutting-edge learning systems that every career and technical education program should have in their classrooms in 2024. The best place to find them? ACTE's annual CareerTech VISION conference, where technical educators from across the United States come to learn best practices and discover the latest innovations for delivering career-focused courses to their students. Out of the hundreds of technology companies featured at the conference, we found 7 that stood out,...
Dec 12, 2023•48 min•Ep. 142
Don't underestimate Milwaukee - a thriving city with not only a rich history, but a bright future with opportunities to live, work and play. Kathy Henrich is CEO of the Milwaukee Tech Hub Coalition, a nonprofit on a mission to grow the region's tech ecosystem while creating life-altering opportunities for tech talent. We dive deep into Milwaukee's unique tech landscape (and the blending of traditional industry with high-tech), the status of our tech talent pool, and the impact of artificial inte...
Dec 05, 2023•35 min•Ep. 141
In a world of constant information overload, how do you stay connected with your network and build meaningful relationships? Canay Deniz, Co-Founder and CEO of Ren joins us on the podcast to discuss a groundbreaking software that leverages artificial intelligence to get you in touch with the people you care about most, at the times it matters most. Discover the power of AI in strengthening relationships, improving efficiency, and achieving professional success. Don't miss out on this eye-opening...
Nov 28, 2023•47 min•Ep. 140
How do we make smart manufacturing part of our DNA in America? What's preventing small and midsized companies from adopting smart technology? How do we build a workforce capable of undergoing a digital transformation? These are the questions CESMII is working on, under the leadership of CEO John Dyck, who joins the podcast to talk about the democratization of smart manufacturing. From the challenges in rapidly training and retaining new employees to the growing significance of data engineering, ...
Nov 21, 2023•47 min•Ep. 139
3D scanning has been around for decades, but the technology today truly qualifies as an Industry 4.0 tool. Creaform is one of the world's leading developers of 3D scanning technology, and Fanny Truchon leads that business as it seeks to design the most cutting-edge, high precision and accessible devices for all industries. If you don't know much about 3D scanning, be prepared to be amazed by the multitude of applications and capabilities this technology has. From product design, reverse engineer...
Nov 14, 2023•35 min•Ep. 138
What if you could supercharge your small to midsize job shop with the power of automation? That's what The Automated Shop Conference (TASC) was all about, bringing together experts in automation to help SMBs take actionable steps on their digital transformation journey. The TechEd Podcast served as co-technical director at the inaugural conference, along with Modern Machine Shop 's Editor-in-Chief, Brent Donaldson. Now, you're getting all the best insights from TASC compiled into one podcast epi...
Nov 07, 2023•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 137
Innovation, not regulation. This is the mindset North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum has instilled in his state's approach to education. As a result, innovation abounds across the state. Hear firsthand from Governor Burgum about all the unique ways North Dakota is disrupting education and laying the foundation for other states to adopt a new model that is better for students, better for schools, and better for communities. In this episode: Learn why states should flip their focus from inputs to out...
Oct 31, 2023•41 min•Ep. 136
