Manufacturing's Role in Closing the Skills Gap

Precision Plus is no stranger to the skilled labor shortage that manufacturers all over the US are facing. While technical education is working hard to train students with the right knowledge and skills for these careers, there's more work that needs to be done.

"It's time to step up," notes Mike Reader, President of Precision Plus, our guest in this episode of The TechEd Podcast. Mike also considers himself a Chief Problem Solver & Workforce Development Advocate, as evidenced by his organization's work to bring education and manufacturing together to solve the skills gap.

Years ago, Precision Plus took ownership of their ability to engage with education and build a pipeline of talent in the region. Mike shares his experiences in this endeavor, including:

• How to attract talent with clean, high-tech, advanced facilities using the latest in Swiss machining technology
• Communicating to educators exactly what hard skills students will need as automation increases in manufacturing
• The strategy behind hiring a Director of Education for his own employees
• Why industry should invest in their region's technical and community colleges
• How to engage as a company with local parents and students, even as young as middle school
• Why it's critical for universities to provide experiential and work-based learning opportunities to their students