Tooling U-SME Blog

New SME Award Honors Excellence in Manufacturing Workforce Training

Date: October 08, 2020
Posted by:Jeannine Kunz, Chief Workforce Development Officer, SME

Immediate workforce development is crucial to manufacturing’s future. In response, high-impact learning organizations (HILOs) are taking steps now to prepare more workers for the next generation of jobs.

These manufacturers know that investing in people is as critical as investing in equipment or technology and that it has a direct connection to their success. Read More.

Manufacturers and Educators Collaborate to Fortify Worker Pipeline Despite Pandemic

Date: September 08, 2020
Posted by:Jeannine Kunz, Chief Workforce Development Officer, SME

Despite half a year of unprecedented — and unexpected — change due to coronavirus, the manufacturing industry powers on. From medical supplies to consumer products, things must get made.

What hasn’t changed? The urgent need for skilled workers. Read More.

Pandemic Accelerating Move to Industry 4.0

Date: August 18, 2020
Posted by:Chad Schron, Senior Director, Tooling U-SME

It’s hard to believe how much has changed in the manufacturing industry in less than six months due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Take supply and demand. The global health crisis has moved masks, testing swabs, ventilators and a vaccine (which means more syringes and needles) to the top of the priority list, while purchases of less urgent consumer goods fall lower. Manufacturers continue to shift production priorities to help support national needs. Read More.

Manufacturers Make Changes to Prepare for a Post-Pandemic World

Date: August 03, 2020
Posted by:Chad Schron, Senior Director, Tooling U-SME

In our continuing series around findings from the SME 2020 COVID-19 Future Outlook Study, today we look at how companies, post-pandemic, will shift company operations. Read More.

Survey: COVID-19 Propels Manufacturers to Reshore Operations

Date: July 23, 2020
Posted by:Chad Schron, Senior Director, Tooling U-SME

COVID-19 shines a bright light on challenges related to the supply chain — some already felt before coronavirus hit — so it’s no surprise that manufacturers are considering moving production back to the U.S., as COVID-19 continues to impact manufacturing jobs and the industry.

According to the SME 2020 COVID-19 Future Outlook Study, one-quarter of respondents indicated their company plans to reshore manufacturing production to the U.S. Read More.

SME Study Looks at Impact of COVID-19 on Manufacturing Industry

Date: July 16, 2020
Posted by:Chad Schron, Senior Director, Tooling U-SME

With the COVID-19 pandemic continuing to sweep across the United States, there has been much speculation about its long-term impact on the manufacturing industry and the industry’s ability to recover.

In April, SME surveyed more than 700 manufacturing professionals to understand how their companies will begin to recover post-COVID-19. Read More.

Preparing an Industry 4.0 workforce for the manufacturing sector

Date: June 25, 2020
Posted by:Greg Surtman, Workforce Development Strategist, Tooling U-SME

The need to advance workforce education for Industry 4.0 related technology was at the forefront of the National Coalition of Advanced Technology Centers’ (NCATC) Summer Workshop, held at Oakland Community College (OCC) in Auburn Hills, Michigan. As one of two new board directors for NCATC, I had the opportunity – along with representatives from some 75 community colleges and industry partners – to attend the workshop, entitled “Empowering Innovation: Equipping our Workforce for Industry 4.0.” Read More.

Manufacturing Training in Demand: CNC Machinist, Welding, 3D Printing Technology

Date: June 18, 2020
Posted by:Chad Schron, Senior Director, Tooling U-SME

Even though we are still in the midst of responding to coronavirus, manufacturers are starting to ramp up production again.

According to SME’s COVID-19 Future Outlook Study, more than nine-in-ten respondents indicated their company was still operating in some capacity, with half of companies still fully active. There is lots of optimism, with over two-thirds of manufacturers expecting the industry to recover to pre-COVID-19 production levels by the end of 2020. Read More.

Honoring the Graduates—Specifically Career Tech Ed Students—of 2020

Date: June 16, 2020
Posted by:Jeannine Kunz, Chief Workforce Development Officer, SME

When we entered 2020, I, like many other people, looked forward to the new decade with a sense of hope, optimism and enthusiasm. I set personal goals and laid out business plans, eager to watch them unfold over the next 12 months. But our lives changed drastically within the first quarter of the new year. The COVID-19 pandemic took hold and turned our world upside down, disrupting everything from our daily hustle and bustle to long-awaited milestones like weddings, birthdays and graduations. Read More.

Cross-Training: Creating a Flexible Workforce for When it is Needed the Most

Date: June 03, 2020
Posted by:John Hindman, Director of Learning Services, Tooling U-SME

Tooling U-SME has launched a series of learning and development webinars to address current pain points for manufacturers. The first was Strategic and Effective Onboarding is Critical for Surge Hiring, which focuses on how to get a new worker to qualification of a specific job assignment. Read More.