Dr. Tabby Rabenberg, Principal at Bismarck Public Schools, discusses the critical role of self-efficacy and hands-on experiences in empowering girls to pursue careers in STEM fields.Drawing from her extensive experience in education, Tabby shares valuable insights into the importance of building confidence and providing diverse opportunities for young students, especially girls, from elementary school through high school.Through innovative programs and a holistic approach to education, Tabby ...

Our guest is one of education's greatest disruptors, Mike Beighley, Superintendent of Whitehall School District. Known nationwide for its groundbreaking approach to teaching Industry 4.0 with the Mobile Skills Lab, Whitehall has been at the forefront of educational innovation for years.We trace the district's journey in implementing cutting-edge technology programs, from listening to and learning from Ashley Furniture's Industry 4.0 efforts, to launching the Mobile Skills Lab, to the new and ...

From capital budgets to strategic initiatives from federal and state governments, to grants and industry support, educators have countless potential funding opportunities to keep their programs up to date.Grand Rapids Community College, led by President Dr. Charles Lepper, is putting many of these funding opportunities to work for the benefit of their students. Hear how the college has build a strong partnership with Gentex (among other employers) that has benefitted both parties. Learn how t...

Building a better future for our students is going to take the combined efforts of educators, employers and community leaders. The Greater Milwaukee Committee is on a mission to do just that, bringing together the most influential leaders and organizations in Milwaukee to solve some of the toughest challenges facing the city.Joel Brennan leads the organization and joined us in the studio to talk about the role of public-private partnerships between educational institutions and businesses to a...

Discovery World isn't just a science museum. It's an iconic Milwaukee destination that inspires generations of learners to discover the wonders of science through hands-on STEM experiences. Through their exhibits, camps, community programs and curriculum offerings, Discovery World is making a major impact on learners and families all across the Milwaukee region, reaching underserved populations and creating extra opportunities for STEM experiences beyond what the classroom can provide.In this...

With the pace of change in this new world of work, companies need to start rethinking outdated approaches to continuing education benefits and employee upskilling programs.Traditional benefits like tuition reimbursement and assistance just won't cut it. InStride is disrupting that model. Their unique approach to lifelong learning is helping companies see:226% ROI over three years for every dollar invested92% annual retention (vs. 63% of employees that don't participate)3x promotion rate for p...

If we want to fill all the skilled positions our workforce has open, it's going to take aligning business needs with educational programs at all levels.With experience at the U.S. Department of Education, Dr. Casey Sacks has seen best practices in creating this kind of alignment. In her current role as President of BridgeValley Community and Technical College, she emphasizes the need for collaboration between colleges, employers, and K-12 schools to ensure that students are aware of and prepa...

What if we valued skills and competencies more than degrees? As President of Bismarck State College, Dr. Jensen sees education as an economic investment, where the skills a student has upon graduation are far more important than degrees and certifications. A competency-first approach to higher education requires disrupting the traditional model. In this episode, we talk about the components that drive competency-based education, including: How to incorporate credit for prior learningGiving...

While colleges across the U.S. are worried about declining enrollment, Lake Area Technical College in South Dakota is expanding. President Tiffany Sanderson sees the value in building a vision so big, so bold that other organizations can't help but want to get involved. And in a state like South Dakota that is seeing faster than average population growth, now is the time for expansion! In this episode, you'll discover how expanding an organization can energize the staff, customers, students...

Are you a budding entrepreneur with a great business idea? Have you always wanted to start a company in the tech space, but don't know where to start? Get great advice on launching your own tech company as you listen to our conversation with Amber Busuttil Mullen, partner at Bowen Tax Law. Amber has spent her career helping executives in their businesses and knows that tech is everywhere! From cosmetics to fabrics, ice cream to athletics, there's an application for every technology idea. So...

Funding, filling programs, and finding partners in industry - these are three challenges facing technical colleges across the country. And a great solution to all these challenges: industry-sponsored programs. North Dakota State College of Science has an incredible Diesel Technology program that partners with the biggest brands in agricultural equipment like John Deere, Case, Komatsu and Caterpillar to offer hands-on, career-relevant learning on the latest equipment being used in the...

Peter Rathmann is an advocate for neurodiversity in the manufacturing workforce. As CEO of Allis Manufacturing, he's built a culture that gives these individuals the tools for a successful career. As a father, he's seen his own daughter Emma, who has Asperger's Syndrome, find passion in a manufacturing job. Now, Peter joins us on the podcast to shed light on the great value these individuals can bring to the manufacturing workforce. If you're a manufacturer who can't find people to fill...

What if your company had a digital library of every single drawing, from the newest designs to 100-year-old hand-drawn copies for parts still in use? What if this digital file system was powered by artificial intelligence and could read not just the text on each drawing, but could actually understand all the data (material types, revisions, even identify similar drawings)? That's exactly what Yushiro Kato and the team at CADDi have done with their groundbreaking software. This AI-enabled...

What does the future of disease research look like? How can artificial intelligence help researchers make new discoveries faster? How can medical professionals synthesize the vast amounts of patient data to offer the best, most personalized care possible These are some of the questions we explore with Dr. Julie Panepinto, who leads the National Institutes of Health's Division of Blood Diseases and Resources In this episode, we dive deep in to the Science part of STEM to learn about the...

Higher education is facing an enrollment cliff. Or, as Augustana University President Stephanie Herseth Sandlin puts it, a "consumption cliff." Not only are there fewer students for universities to recruit, there are also fewer students even considering enrolling in post-secondary education. In this episode, we discuss some of the ways private universities can hedge against these upcoming challenges. STEM education - when integrated into a traditional liberal arts model - can play a vital...

Get ready to start your AI journey in manufacturing! We sat down with industry visionary Todd Wanek, CEO of Ashley Furniture Industries, to get his best practices for developing an AI strategy. According to Wanek, businesses have 3-5 years to figure out AI, or get left behind.  Fortunately for us, Ashley Furniture - the world's largest furniture manufacturer with 35,000 employees globally - has already started their AI journey. Their efforts have resulted in a 20-30% improvement in product...

How can we better serve students in a city like Milwaukee, where 50% of students attend mediocre or failing schools, and only 65% of students even graduate high school? This data isn't anomalous; urban regions across the U.S. are failing our students, creating systems lacking in hope and opportunity for our kids. One school in Milwaukee has found tremendous success by taking a holistic approach to K-12 education - one where the whole student is served, mind, body and soul. Abby Andrietsch,...

Every student should have access to the educational opportunities they need to pursue the careers they're passionate about - and that means removing as many financial barriers as possible. When it comes to students attending technical and community colleges, often these financial barriers look much different than those faced by a traditional university student. And yet of the 1,500 applications the SME Education Foundation receives each year for their $1 million+ in scholarship funds, only...

The traditional K-12 education model in America - one that's remain unchanged for decades - no longer serves our students like it should. It's an inadequate system that needs to be disrupted, and superintendent Justin Wagner and his team at Woodbine Community School District decided to take action to change it. Hear how they built a new model centered around involved, relevant and personalized learning. One that focuses on student voice and choice and gets the parents involved. One that's...

GrayMatter Robotics is revolutionizing industrial automation, powering their robots with artificial intelligence as we enter the age of the "digital worker." We sat down with Co-Founder and CEO Ariyan Kabir to hear just how innovative their approach to automation is. What makes them so unique? GrayMatter Robotics is a company that develops AI software for robots, focusing on surface finishing and treatment applications in manufacturing. These are some of the most difficult processes to...

Autonomous trucks, robotics and AI are revolutionizing the mining industry...and now engineering students of all disciplines are being prepared for these fascinating careers at South Dakota Mines! Dr. Jim Rankin, President of the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology (often called South Dakota Mines) discusses the institution's focus on STEM education and its impact on the mining and mineral industries. SDSMT is one of only five universities in the U.S. to have all three mineral...

Skilled talent is in high demand - in every industry. Caliber Collision is facing the shortage in the automotive collision repair industry, where they estimate 30% of the market needs are being unmet due to a lack of technicians. Eddie Hightower leads Caliber's sustainability & social responsibility efforts, which includes the company's Technician Apprentice Program, designed to address the shortage of trained technicians in the industry. We sat down with Eddie to learn just what makes...

It's the start of a new year, and that means...our annual predictions episode is here! Host Matt Kirchner shares the top 9 trends & technologies that will impact the world of technical education in 2024. How exactly will AI impact the way we teach, the way students learn, and how we do business in 2024? What will happen with the ever-growing shortage of skilled talent? How will the enrollment cliff affect higher education?  What's the latest-and-greatest advancements in tech that our...

Technical and community colleges not just degree factories; they're the solution to meeting the shifting demands of the workforce while creating economic and social mobility for individuals. In this episode of the podcast, we're joined by Dr. Lori Suddick, President of the College of Lake County, to dive into this important topic of education-industry alignment. CLC is positioned at the heart of the Midwestern manufacturing corridor, where large, globally integrated companies in...

Ever wondered how a seventh-grade engineering camp can ignite a lifelong passion for STEM? Alyssa Sanders, Associate Director of Research and Development Engineering at Baxter, is living proof of just that. This week's episode is a fascinating discussion about the role of innovation in an engineering career. Managing a diverse, global team of engineers, Alyssa is an expert on innovation, product development and manufacturing, and highlights the importance of understanding market needs,...