Have you noticed there’s a lot of uncertainty in the world these days? Are the worldwide tariffs on again or off again? Does the federal Department of Education still exist? If so, in what form and with what capacity does it operate? The answers to these questions drive the decisions being made by educational institutions
What’s the biggest challenge facing manufacturers in 2025? A survey of companies would likely yield a variety of answers, from inflation and fickle customer demand to productivity and ever-changing technology. But there’s one ongoing problem that would top the list for many manufacturers: filling open positions with highly skilled workers. Manufacturers call it the skill
What’s the greatest challenge facing manufacturers today? Is it inflation? Ongoing supply chain issues? Competition from foreign companies? All of those could arguably be listed as significant challenges, but there’s one challenge that most, if not all, manufacturers would agree remains their biggest barrier to growth and profitability: hiring enough skilled workers to fill their
Whether it’s a new car or the latest smartphone, there’s nothing worse than saving up your hard-earned money for a major purchase, only to experience problems from the get-go. Sure, manufacturing defects happen from time to time for a variety of reasons, but quality problems can greatly affect any brand’s reputation if they become too
In-House Training: Why It’s Valuable and How It Can Go Wrong Should industrial employers provide ongoing training for their employees? How that question gets answered usually depends upon who you ask. Studies show that employees see ongoing training as a desired benefit. Unfortunately, many employers see training as an unnecessary cost. When you look
When’s the last time you took stock of your HVACR training equipment and materials? If it’s been a while, it’s probably time to reevaluate your HVACR program to make sure you’re adequately preparing students for the HVACR jobs of the present and, more importantly, the future. HVACR continues to be one of the industries with
When separating from the U.S. military, a primary factor in a soldier’s successful transition back to civilian life is stability. This stability can come from multiple places, such as having supportive friends and family and a place to live once their service is over, but ultimately, a key component to establishing this stability is finding
What’s hotter than the temperatures currently scorching most of the United States? Quite appropriately, careers in heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVACR) are hotter than ever. With heat wave after heat wave and temperatures setting new records year after year, the demand for qualified HVACR installers and technicians is greater than ever. Unfortunately, supply
To watch a Multimedia version of this story, please click here. When we open up trusted publications and see headlines like… “ROBOTS ARE STEALING OUR JOBS” (Entrepreneur, April 2019) “AI EXPERT SAYS AUTOMATION COULD REPLACE 40% OF JOBS IN 15 YEARS” (Fortune, Jan. 2019) “JOB LOSS FROM AI? THERE’S MORE TO FEAR!” (Forbes, Aug. 2018)
Click HERE to view this article as a multimedia presentation. Whether you work in industry or a career and technical education (CTE) program, there’s a set of buzzwords you’ve probably heard frequently over the last couple of years. They include Industry 4.0, Fourth Industrial Revolution, Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), and Smart Factory, to
Click HERE to view this article as a multimedia presentation. On September 23, 2019, the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) released its most recent NAM Manufacturers’ Outlook Survey (the “NAM Survey”) for the third quarter of 2019. Unfortunately, the survey results revealed a continuing decline in business confidence. In the first quarter of 2019, 89.5%
To view a multimedia presentation of this article, please click here. It’s the basis of modern industry, and the building block for virtually all industrial applications: electrical skills. But without the continued honing of these skills, our technologically-reliant society could face a critical juncture that might affect future growth. For the past two years, leaders
