Are you still digging out from the snow and ice that swept across the country over the weekend? If you live east of the Mississippi River, then the answer is probably a resounding “Yes!” From the Midwest and Northeast to wide swaths of the Southeast, Winter Storm Fern wreaked havoc across dozens of states. Unfortunately,
In this era of rapidly evolving technology and an ongoing manufacturing “skills gap” leaving hundreds of thousands of manufacturing positions open across the country, there’s one question that everyone involved with career and technical education (CTE) should be asking: am I teaching the advanced skills manufacturers so desperately need? Smart Manufacturing Training is More Important
If manufacturers summarized the last decade, many would choose one word that simultaneously sums up their experience yet doesn’t seem powerful enough to convey the magnitude of their struggles: challenging. From the COVID-19 worldwide pandemic that snarled supply chains around the globe to the current administration’s on-again, off-again foreign trade policy driven by fluctuating tariffs,
If you’re one of the thousands upon thousands of people who call the career and technical education (CTE) world home, then you already know that 2026 could be a make-or-break year for CTE and industry alike. The ongoing challenge of the skills gap means that there are more open positions than ever that need highly
Baby Boomers, Gen Xers, Millennials, and now Generation Z…each of these generations has certain defining characteristics that broadly describe the people born into each specific time period. Which generation do you belong to? What stereotypes of your generation do you agree/disagree with? For example, Gen Z generally includes those people born between 1997 and 2009.
If you grew up in the late 1900s, you may be familiar with a popular cartoon called The Jetsons. This futuristic Saturday morning staple promised flying cars, robot butlers, and whole host of amazing technologies that would help people live a life of leisure. Of course, a quarter of the way through the twenty-first century
Manufacturing in the United States boasts a long history of innovation and success. Yet, over the last several decades, we’ve seen an increasing number of products produced overseas, as global competition heats up. There are many reasons for the trends we’ve noticed in manufacturing. As technology advances, other countries have been able to catch up
The manufacturing sector in the United States continues to face an ongoing labor shortage that shows no signs of letting up anytime soon. Recent reports from the Bureau of Labor Statistics reveal a consistent pattern of nearly a half-million open manufacturing positions every month. As if that wasn’t enough of a challenge, the current administration’s
As much as we depend upon fossil fuels for energy generation, we can’t escape the fact that Mother Nature isn’t making more fossil fuels anytime soon. Thus, the search for reliable and cost-effective alternative energy sources continues. One alternative—geothermal energy—has been around for ages. However, due to relatively high startup costs, it really hasn’t taken
Robots in the workplace. AI. The latest iPhone. Is there any facet of life not impacted by the growing presence of advanced technology? Pick up a newspaper (if you can still find one!) and examine its contents. How many stories touch on some aspect of technology? Yes, we live and work in a digital world.
Most automobile enthusiasts know that the modern automobile production factory traces its roots all the way back to Henry Ford and the Model T. Ford’s vision led to the invention of the moving automotive assembly line, which enabled mass production of vehicles and ushered in a new era of transportation in the United States. Perhaps
