Work and Learn: Education & Innovation Under One Roof

In today's rapidly-advancing economy, having job-ready hard skills is often more valuable than an academic degree. Technical education is the key to producing a workforce that has both the knowledge and the skillset to excel in the workplace.

Our guest this week has done incredible work to advance technical education and workforce training in the US.

"Work and Learn" is a model of education Emily DeRocco has been advocating for for decades in her work in the US Department of Labor and with the Manufacturing Institutes. No matter if the learner is active duty military personnel, an inner-city high schooler, or a young girl interested in STEM - Emily has worked to provide programs for them.

In this episode, you'll hear about disruptive programs that utilize a "work and learn" model, including:

• Operation Next
• Industry-Recognized Apprenticeship Programs (IRAPs)
• The Manufacturing Institutes
• LIFT and the IGNITE: Mastering Manufacturing program