Hardware Podcasts

159: How Career & Technical Education (CTE) is Impacting Smart Manufacturing with Kent Powell of Amatrol

Manufacturing Happy Hour · 31 Oct 2023 · 45m

What this episode covers

Kent Powell, VP of Sales and Marketing at Amatrol, explains how the company addresses the skilled labor shortage through career and technical education (CTE) that combines foundational skills with modern smart manufacturing technologies. He defines smart manufacturing by contrasting dumb on/off sensors with smart sensors that provide data like line speed and throughput via Ethernet, enabling real-time process adjustments. Powell also details the Kentucky FAME program, a work-and-learn pipeline that allows high school students to earn a debt-free two-year degree and a job in two years, and discusses how Amatrol helps educational institutions align their curricula with industry certifications.

Most relevant to

established companies

Topics

Mentioned

Companies
Amatrol, Rockwell Automation, Toyota, 3M, Industrial Solutions Network
Also
Kent Powell, Kentucky FAME, Jefferson Community and Technical College

Related episodes from other shows

Other shows on the same ground, closest first.

  • The Manufacturing Executive · 25m

    Why It’s Time to Modernize Workforce Education (& How to Do It) w/ Kathy Walker

    Kathy Walker, Founder & CEO of the eKentucky Advanced Manufacturing Institute (eKAMI), explains how her organization is upskilling displaced coal miners and rural residents for careers in advanced manufacturing in Eastern Kentucky. She details eKAMI’s unconventional, military-style training program that combines CNC machining and robotics instruction with rigorous soft skills development to bridge the gap between outdated technical education and modern industry needs. Walker emphasizes the importance of industry-driven curriculum, rebranding manufacturing to attract younger generations, and using local instructors who understand the community's culture to successfully transition workers into high-tech roles.

    Hiring & workforceCareers & education
    7 chapters

  • The Manufacturing Executive · 24m

    Filling the Skills Gap One Student at a Time w/ Matt Guse

    Matt Guse, President of MRS Machining Company, discusses his initiative to launch Cardinal Manufacturing, a student-run job shop inside Alva Strum High School in Wisconsin, to combat the skilled labor shortage. Guse explains how he partnered with teacher Craig Krakowski and secured equipment donations to create a program that teaches soft skills and professional habits alongside technical machining and welding. He highlights the program's success in providing debt-free education for students and reshaping the perception of manufacturing careers among Gen Z.

    Hiring & workforceCareers & education
    6 chapters

  • The Manufacturing Executive · 21m

    The Learning Factory: Closing the Skill Gap Starts with Education w/ Mike Nager

    Mike Nager, Founding Member of the Solution Center at Festo Didactic, discusses closing the manufacturing skill gap through education and rebranding. He outlines three career paths into manufacturing—four-year degrees, two-year technical colleges, and direct plant floor entry—and highlights the role of 'Learning Factory' in providing safe, hands-on training with technologies from Siemens, Rockwell, and Universal Robots. Nager emphasizes that manufacturers must actively promote themselves via social media and open houses to compete for talent against healthcare and legal sectors, noting that cybersecurity and AI are now critical components of modern manufacturing curricula.

    Hiring & workforceCareers & education
    6 chapters

  • OnTrack · 33m

    The Critical Shift: Bridging the Generational Gap in PCB Design

    Cory Blaylock, Director of Workforce Partnerships at IPC, discusses the critical generational gap in the electronics manufacturing industry caused by the retirement of experienced workers who gained their skills before manufacturing moved offshore. He details IPC's new Department of Labor-approved national apprenticeship program, designed to provide a standardized 'plug-and-play' model for employers to upskill workers and attract new talent through high school and community college partnerships. Blaylock highlights the shift in perception of manufacturing from 'dirty jobs' to high-tech STEM careers and explains how stackable apprenticeships can lead to engineering roles or frontline leadership.

    Hiring & workforceCareers & education
    7 chapters

  • The Manufacturing Executive · 36m

    A New Generation of Craftsmen with Character w/ Dave Hataj

    Dave Hataj, founder of Craftsman with Character and president of Egerton Gear, explains how his pre-apprenticeship program addresses the manufacturing labor crisis by pairing high school students with mentors to build character and technical skills. The initiative, which has secured a $2 million, three-year agreement with the U.S. Navy to scale nationally, focuses on hiring for character and integrity to transform shop floor culture and reduce turnover. Hataj details the program's success in turning around at-risk students and creating a pipeline of loyal, skilled workers for suppliers in the submarine industrial base.

    Hiring & workforceLeadership, teams & culture
    8 chapters

The summary, chapters and topics are generated from the episode’s audio by this directory, not written by Manufacturing Happy Hour. The episode itself belongs to its publisher.