Smart Manufacturing & Digital Integration: Taking TechEd to the Next Level - Sue Smith, Vice President of Ivy Tech Community College

ago or so. And as I came over to education, especially in the world of Technical and Community Colleges, there was one name that came up all the time, it didn't matter what conference I was at, it didn't matter what meeting I was at, it didn't matter what organization I was a part of today's guests name is all over technical education and all over Technical and Community

Colleges. And our fingerprints are all over the great things happening in the state of Indiana, our guest, and we're really proud and happy to welcome Sue Smith, who is the vice president for advanced manufacturing and Applied Sciences at Indiana's statewide community college system, Ivy Tech Community College and Sue, you're a great friend, you're you've been a mentor, I've learned so much from you. And it's really an honor to have you with us. Thanks for joining us on the podcast.

doing now. But as you and I were talking just a few short weeks ago, you've really dedicated a huge part of your career and the rest of your career, to the world of technical education, I know our audience would love to hear about what keeps you so energized and committed to the great work that you're doing, seeing

what keeps me going. But that's not the only thing. You know, I really am concerned with economic development in the state of Indiana and ensuring that we have the great high wage and in high demand jobs that can support our economy and, and really our standard of living. And so I like to work with economic development, and we

work with them all the time. And we hear from our employer partners that come to the state, one of the reasons and sometimes the main reason that they located in Indiana was because we have this statewide workforce system that can develop the talent that they need for for their facilities,

exactly right. The reputation that Ivy Tech has in your state draws tremendous interest from employers, because as we know, and it's really, in the 15 years that have been sued since I started that plant, it's even more acute the need for talented workforce the need for individuals that have the skills and competencies we need in

advanced manufacturing. I know that's a huge part of what you're doing and and as I started this, this little part of the discussion with I saw a post on LinkedIn this week, one of your instructors had opened up an addition to the the campus in Shelbyville along with some really cool equipment and so, so I can speak from experience, the value of having a great workforce and knowing not just that the workforce today is a solid workforce, but that there's a plan and there's a

system in place for creating the future of the workforce so that you can continue that economic vitality in Indiana. And five and 10 years from now you'll still be running into people in the grocery store who tell you that their experience at Ivy Tech absolutely changed their lives and there's no better feeling I'm sure in the world that knowing that the work that you're doing had a difference and made a difference in somebody's life. Ivy Tech is doing incredible work across the

entire state. So and for our listeners who may not be completely familiar with your model and what you do, just tell us a little bit about Ivy Tech.

So, so the model really is that all of these campuses are led by one president in one strategic plan. Now, the campuses all have campus leadership that support them and support that community and that service area, but they are led by by the one president and one strategic plan. It's a centralized structure that really provides for some regionally determined services. So we don't have the same programs and every, in every community, because they're not needed in all those communities.

But we do have that statewide structure with the local presence.

model there. Whereas in the state of Indiana, it is one model with a single president, a single leadership team, and then that local leadership at the individual campuses, but tell us among that centralized model, and what some of the advantages are to having a model that works out.

that's an internal benefit. And we also have the opportunity to add programs quickly, because, you know, we can add them where we need to across the state, but for the communities and the employers that we serve, the centralization really provides for a standardization of curriculum, training, services, resources, you know, all of that standardized, and it's the same from, you know, in every in every campus service area, for the most part where it's needed.

So if you have if you need interns in South Bend, Indiana, you can call the Ivy Tech campus there, they can provide those interns. And we do the same thing, if you have a facility in Shelbyville, Indiana, or if you have a facility in you know, in Evansville, Indiana, so, so we do have that, you know, have that benefit of having that standardization of services, and support for all of our communities across the state.

all of our plants that way. So that's the benefit of standardization, which really kind of harkens to some of the lean manufacturing tools and practices that I used in my manufacturing days, which was all about, you know, let's let's invent the model once and let's make it as good as possible. And then repeat that over and over

again. So tremendous benefits in so many ways to centralization, as we talk to some of the educators that have a more decentralized model, one of the things that I'll highlight is that different regions of a state and you you alluded to this a little bit earlier, might have different industries might have different cultures,

different needs. And so a decentralized model might lend itself a little bit, in their opinion a little bit better to, to that type of focusing on specific individual employers in

specific industries. How do you respond to that as someone who's leading and helping to lead to a large, centralized model in terms of how you make sure that your programs are relevant to the different regions, because being someone who spent a lot of time in your state, there are different different industries and different cultures throughout the entire state?

Columbus service area. And so we see everyone, you know, we see the plant manager of Commons and we see, you know, we see these people all the time and so we are there at the basketball games and the fair and whatever.

And so I think you can provide that localized service, or that even if you have this huge organization, I think that I think that is possible and I think that we do a do a good The job of that, like I said, simply because we live in work in the communities where those service areas are.

on. So it's a model that I can tell you from experience, certainly works well in Indiana. And given the success of your manufacturers, I think you continue to outpace my state of Wisconsin as the as the state in the union that has the highest amount of the of the state's GDP being derived from manufacturing, I think we're number two, none of that happens without a workforce, that workforce doesn't happen without

Ivy Tech. And so obviously, that model is working really, really well, as we're continuing to live in work in, in an economy that is evolving and is changing. And I know one of the things that's been a super hot topic, not just in your state, but across the country the last couple of years is the whole

idea of semiconductors. I think, people that maybe weren't familiar with that term, pre COVID, as we worked our way through some of the supply chain challenges that we all dealt with over the course of the last several years. Everybody knows that what a key component semiconductors are, it's so many of the different things that we

use day in and day out. And I know that's a huge focus in the state of Indiana, tell us about that what's going on in the state of Indiana relative to semiconductors, and how How's Ivy Tech thinking about that,

competitive price. So so we've got a new one that located in Lafayette, it's called Sky water, and they located there, mostly because we would have, we would be able to create the eco system that they needed to, you know, get the talent that they needed into, into their facility. And so we worked with them and and talk with them about what they were going to need, how many technicians, you know, how many, how many folks

engineering level and so on. And so we have worked with Purdue to develop that training, so that it starts out with just a certificate that can be added onto our manufacturing programs. And that can prepare someone to work in the industry. And then they can take that and transfer it into Purdue. And then they can go on up to a PhD level. So we started out certificate associate degree and then they can go on into a master's and a bachelor's and a PhD or, or

whatever they need to do. So it's been a very successful program. So far, we had an event this summer and recruited over 100 folks into that event to take a look at the semiconductor world and, and what that's going to look like. You know, we also have, it's not only the things that we use every day, there are lots of different semiconductor companies that make different kinds of chips, but also thinking about the Department of

Defense. I mean, we have Craig naval base here in Indiana, and crane has started attracting some of those semiconductor companies to their location simply because of the security that's needed in developing some of those defense related chips. And so enhanced is another semiconductor company that is working near our Bloomington campus in our Bloomington service area. And we're working with them as well to design what they want. So it's not always exactly the same. But but it is

similar. They have been telling us that what they really need for their technicians, for example, is our smart manufacturing and digital integration degree. So we've had some success in supporting them already with that degree.

how they're different. So as you're working with semiconductor manufacturers, certainly the mechatronics Foundation, the Advanced Manufacturing Foundation, lot of similarities, but where their differences are, what are some of those other competencies that are looking for from your students that might be different from a traditional mechatronics program.

And so a lot of people can do that. And a lot of people can't do that. So I guess that's the first real obvious, obvious difference. And the other thing that's maybe not so obvious is that the technology that is used in in manufacturing semiconductors, is even more automated. And it's even more integrated than it is in any other Mechatronics company or many advanced manufacturing companies. So you're looking really here at more the integration of autonomous systems, I guess, for lack of a

better term. So all the systems are autonomous, we are all integrated working together. And so you know, the, the role of the manufacturing operator in that sense, is just to keep everything going. And just to monitor and maintain, you know, what's happening so that I think that's the real difference.

So some really interesting and fascinating technologies, whether it's cleanroom, technology, vacuum technology, whether it is automation integration, you know, part of your role at Ivy Tech, especially as it relates to advanced manufacturing is to have your eye on what's coming next. So as you think about emerging technology soon, and what might be on the horizon for the next generation of manufacturing technologies, what are you thinking about what's starting to emerge,

grow. I mean, we're we're already working with Purdue on programs around AI, and you know, other other technologies that nobody even uses right now. You know, we have to be, we have to be working in that direction. You know, those two, Evie and batteries are something that the state is really focused on as

well. And just recently, we've had Eli Lilly announced that they are going to be expanding in Indianapolis and in Lebanon, which is just north of Indianapolis, and their expansion isn't going to be what they're doing now, necessarily, but going to be much more automated, again, much more

autonomous and integrated. So, you know, I think that this smart manufacturing, digital integration degree and and some of the, you know, smart automation certification Alliance credentials that we've built in that degree, are really going to be what's needed to develop that workforce toward those new technologies. And you know, when we talk to Lilly, first talk to them about developing this biopharmaceutical manufacturing workforce and the centers that we're going to develop to have

the equipment in them. They said, work, so what do you think, is the most important skill for your new workforce? And they said, curiosity. And I thought that was fascinating, because really, you know, when you think about it, if you're curious and continue to learn, you know, you start out as an operator, and you can go, you know, wherever, just based on that curiosity, and that ability and intentional learning,

that bottleneck? What if we could lower our parts per million rejects from 25 to five, you know, passing those what if questions, creating continuous improvement and continuous learning programs so that we're recognizing that we are in a in a manufacturing world that's going to continue to evolve, and it sounds like it doesn't matter whether it's a battery plant, and Evie, plant, pharmaceutical

plant as semiconductor plant. A lot of the competencies that manufacturers and that large companies and companies large and small really are looking for are both those technical competencies but also the ability to evolve along with technology because we all know that as technologies and advancements such as artificial intelligence, you mentioned that a little while ago, such as additional automation, additional integration, additional vertical integration, especially in a manufacturing

environment. The more curious an individual is, the more they're going to be able to morph as manufacturing technology changes. It also speaks to the different on and off ramps that we have in education, and the fact that you can be curious at any level, whether you're an individual, you know, just leaving high school or even

still in high school. Somebody who's going on to a tech diploma or an associate degree, somebody who's going into the military, somebody who's going direct to workforce, all these different on and off ramps that we're seeing in manufacturing is advanced manufacturing organizations continue to expand and, and change the technologies

that they're working with. And because of that, something you mentioned already, the smart automation certification Alliance, and really the whole idea in a broader sense of stackable credentials, and giving options to our students and letting them know that your career decision, your education decision is not a death sentence, you have so many different options as you make your way through your career. And as you consider what your

future might look like. And I know you and I actually, I think, initially got to know each other. During our work with the smart automation certification Alliance, you were an early adopter, an early advocate, as was I have the changes and the amazing things that taka has done under the direction of Jim wall. I heard just last week, by the way, as we record this, this episode that Sokka had awarded its

23,000 credential. So now 23,000 credential holders across around the globe, really, certainly a lot of them across the United States. But you had really, really early interest in the smart automation certification lies, what drew you to that organization talk about that?

state that needs equipment. And so I happen to be in a meeting with Paul and I said, Paul, you know, I've got all of this equipment, I've got all these labs across the state, I've got all of em 22 manufacturing labs across the state, and, you know, all of this faculty, and how am I going to upgrade everything to this industry? 4.0 level, you know, do we need new programs? What are your thoughts? What are you going to do with your equipment to get it to that, you know, to that industry 4.0

level? And he said, Well, I been working with this organization called Sokka, smart automation certification Alliance and said, You know, Jim, well, yes, I do know, Jim will actually. And so. So that's what started it really, and just reached out to Jim and said, Hey, can we get, you know, can we get involved in this? And he said, Sure. And so you know, is very impressed with the way those credentials were developed, they were developed with industries across the

country. And, you know, just with the input that they got from those industries, I think it was, you know, this is the way to go. So, you know, we've always built our programs on certifications, and whenever possible, and the reason we do that is because that is a competency demonstration. So it's more than just, you pass this course, you pass this course. And by the way, you can do these 10 things. And here's, here's your proof that you can

do that. So, so I think that that was really one of the reasons we adopted certifications. But another one is that we can stack and crosswalk those. So that gives your people a much better, I guess, both to our flexibility to create their pathway, and even employers to create pathways. And so the other thing that the certifications do you and we thought about this very intentionally, is, what about the hundreds of people who are already working in

manufacturing? How do we get them up to the level so the incumbent workers, also how do we get them up to the level they need to be? And certifications are the way to do that, obviously, they're not going to go back and get a degree after 30 years of working in industrial maintenance. So so that was really helpful as a standalone option

manufacturing. So in as much as it's really important for us to inspire high school students to work at the Technical and Community college level to make sure that we're instilling the right competencies and abilities and individuals as they go through that career pathway in that educational pathway, I should say, it's equally as important, maybe even more important to make sure that our incumbent workforce is going to have relevant skills 20 years from now, and again, they're already working in

manufacturing, as that world continues to change and evolve. And so you and I agree that in addition to the ideas of tying stem credentials to to educational programs, making sure that individuals graduate, like you said with those 10 competencies as a result of earning a certification that are valued by industry, valued by industry, because of the certification is set up

properly. It's based on competencies that industry is asking for kind of tying back to the original couple of meetings that you and I had as part of those technical workgroups standing up Sokka. So lots and lots of great things have happened with the smart automation certification Alliance, through no small part, the hard work that you and others at Ivy Tech have put into helping expand the appeal of

those certifications. So tell us about how that's going into Indiana is the is the interest in soccer growing, you know, tell us how soccer is working out for you in Indiana. And at Ivy Tech.

had this huge gap. And so really, that huge gap and those socket credentials were what we based our Smart Manufacturing integration degree on. And so, you know, then we looked back at our employer partners, and realized that we were several years ahead of them, for the first time in my career possible, we were several years ahead of them in what they needed. And a lot of those folks are still at the industry 3.0 level, as you know, and

struggling to catch up. But they'll get there because, you know, we all know they have to. But so in Indiana when when we built that new degree, and we upgraded our curriculum, also had to upgrade our labs. And so we did that, we had to upgrade our faculty skills. So we did that even at the secondary level. So we have dual credit. So those faculty who teach those skills had to have the socket

credentials as well. So it's growing in Indiana, just you know, by the nature of having to, you know, touched so many people with it. But we do have a couple of companies and it really been anchored companies in our state. One of those is liberty. And, you know, they have upgraded you know, all of their apprenticeship programs with these skills. And the other one is interest in Hauser now we have lots of users Risha, and, you know, lots of folks that are

using the credentials. But interesting Hauser and Lippert both have tremendous apprenticeship programs, and have been real users and early adopters, as you said, of, of these credentials, and they've been very successful, they're very thrilled with the way that these these employees are, you know, learning and they're adopting, they're not afraid to jump on those higher level technical processes and equipment. And, you know, just really, really move forward with that.

huge, huge difference. And then knowing that they're supporting the competencies that are embedded in those certifications, I think gives you your students and your community that that level of reassurance and that level of confidence that you're absolutely hitting the target when it comes to valued industrial competencies. You know, I think back one of the things you just said, Sue, that resonates with me so well in the

world of industry. 4.0. And I think back to some conversations I had with community and technical college educators early on is that technology and the idea of smart technology and in the fourth industrial revolution was emerging maybe five or six years ago, and a lot of the educators for saying, well, our industrial employers aren't really asking for this yet. And my answer was always, there aren't a lot of these

areas. But this is one of those areas where education has to lead industry because we're seeing the fact that these technologies are emerging. We're understanding what smart sensors and smart devices and data analytics are going to do to manufacturing. And if we wait for some of our employers to ask for this, it might be too late.

And so credit to you for being way way out on the front end of the industry 4.0 movement and and pivoting your degree programs and pivoting your institution in a way that has responded well, and now provides value to great employers like Lippert like Anderson Hauser and others. You touched on the importance of dual credit and I know that something that's that you've been a huge advocate for?

How do we you know, create really efficient pathways from secondary education into post secondary and give students as much credit for the great work they're doing while they're in high school so that when they get to a community college, maybe they can take what would be a one year tech diploma and turn it into a semester or a two year associate degree and turn it into a one year pathway or

sometimes even less. So talk about how Sokka is augmenting and facilitating dual enrollment in the state of Indiana.

they require internships. So the demographic of our students is that when they get out of high school, they have to work. And so the goal of these pathways is to prepare them for that first job. And while they're going to that first job, they can complete their degree and get even more additional training. So that's what we've been doing

with these pathways. And so as for example, as we build out the smart manufacturing and digital integration degree, we build out a high school pathway that goes along with that degree, complete with the socket certifications. And you know, we've had one class go through that, and it's very doing very well, just as a pilot. And of course, now you know, they've all adopted, those students will come out ready to go to work, and then they can continue on with their education

journey. So to the earlier discussion that we had, none of this is a dead end, none of it is a life decision, you got all these on and off ramps that are created through the use of third party certifications and stackable credentials, and nobody is led that stronger than

than Sue Smith and Ivy Tech. One of the examples I think of great opportunities for students that are participating in the socca journey is the opportunity now to go to community college programs, of course, but to now do some four year degree programs, which are really

interesting. You and I have talked recently with David thing of the University of Wisconsin Stout, who's been just a great leader on his, what I say is his it's the University of Wisconsin Stout automation leadership degree, one of the most highly in demand skill sets that individual manufacturing employers are asking for as people complete their education journey, which is give me somebody that can come into my manufacturing facility, help be a part of a digital transformation, help integrate

programmable logic controllers, with robotics, with conveyors with sensors with devices, create these manufacturing systems, really high demand competencies and skill sets. And now we've got a degree program that not only delivers on those skill sets, but does it in a really efficient way. The University of Wisconsin Stout automation leadership degree were up to 61 credits of 120 credit bachelor's degree can come from Sokka certifications.

Now you've been highly interested, I know and a great advocate for the future of this program. Tell us about why you think programs like the one at UW Stout, the automation leadership degree, are so unique, so interesting, and are they indeed, the future of higher education

3.0 space? How do they get to that 4.0 space? Well, they get there by having the strong leadership that can take them there, which, which may start with these soccer credentials, where they're not afraid to jump in. And they're not afraid of the technology, they're not afraid of the automation. So they jump in, and they're going into that leadership role. I mean, we get that all the time. And I know, other community

colleges do too. And what happens after the associate's degree, you know, so Well, this is easy to access, the University of Wisconsin Stout degree is easy to access, and students can take it while they're working. You know, they can transfer all that certification. And as, as educators, we have got to adopt the mindset of no credential

left behind. Understand that, you know, that folks are going to come in with with this short term certificate, and they're going to come in with this program or or this certificate, or this academic degree or whatever. And we've got to learn to shape those into those career pathways that people need that employers need. And so I think that's what this really does. It takes all of those and says, Okay, we value this, we're going to teach all these folks how to

be leaders. And so they can come in from various entry points and exit points and back onto this highway to this four year degree and on as I understand it, from David is going to push on for for higher level degrees. And so I think that's, you know, that's perfect for what future of education where it's going

year. So now you've got a master's degree in, you know, two or three years right out of high school. I mean, it's just it really is incredibly, incredibly innovative. I love your idea. And your words, I'm going to I'm going to use that no credential left behind that is awesome. You know, so so often we hear students talk about well, they are they're earning college credits. But you know, in the past, they're what

we call credits to nowhere. So you get a credit, but it doesn't count toward a degree program while and it's fine, you learn something, but it's not really giving you that Headstart or making your your education

journey any more efficient. So the idea of if you're earning a third party credential, if you're earning a credential, it's valued in industry, and you've earned that credential as a student, let's find a way to make that count for something useful and valuable, so that we can make your education journey as efficient as possible. So many of us are influenced by different things when we're

growing up. And when we're in our teen years, and one of the questions that we love to ask every guest Sue on the tech ed podcast, as we close our time with them, is to think about that 15 year old version of yourself, your whole life is ahead of you. And if you had the opportunity to to go back in time, and share one piece of advice with that young version of yourself that 15 year old version of yourself, what would that piece of advice be

your job or in your life. You know, you should always seek knowledge and seek credentials that, you know, that can be valuable and better your position, you know, whatever it is, and wherever it is, but also that could help the greater good, you know, you have to be focused on that as well. And I would say, you know, you won't be able to change the world for for everybody. But you can change it for some people. And that's success. So that's, I think what I would say,

being a lifelong learner. And recognizing that whether you're leading your own life, you're leading a family or you're leading an organization, looking to the future, figuring out what's coming, and then adjusting yourself in a way that you're there before everybody else. And then you enable other individuals to benefit from the fact that you had that vision. And you had that tenacity to get started sooner than anybody else did. So you've absolutely lived

a life of doing that. And certainly in your leadership at Ivy Tech, I can tell from experience and working with you that you have impacted hundreds of 1000s of lives. And for that you should be really proud. We're proud that we were able to have you on the tech ed podcast. It's been a great conversation about third party credentials about semiconductors about an industry 4.0 and so on. We just

had a wonderful discussion. I want to thank you sue Smith, Vice President for advanced manufacturing and Applied Sciences at Ivy Tech Community College in the great state of Indiana for being with us on the tech ed podcast.