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

What this episode covers

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.