Community Update

May 2025

Supply Chain Technology Education Workshop

In partnership with Klein Educational Systems, MSSC recently had the privilege of joining forces with leaders in both industry and education at the Supply Chain Technology Education Workshop hosted by Baldy View ROP’s Transportation, Distribution & Logistics (TDL) Program in Ontario, California. The event brought together key partners from Target, UPS, Walmart, Walgreens, and Procter & Gamble, creating a dynamic forum for collaboration and innovation in workforce development.

Steve Harrington, Workforce Development Strategist at MSSC, delivered a compelling presentation on the powerful economic forces driving the national and regional demand for certified Supply Chain Technicians. His insights highlighted how these career paths are essential to strengthening the U.S. supply chain and preparing the next generation of skilled professionals.

Special thanks go to Tony Ko and the exceptional TDL faculty at Baldy View ROP for demonstrating how their program is a model of excellence in the Inland Empire of Southern California. Their dedication to student success and workforce readiness is helping to build a strong pipeline of talent for high-skill, high-wage careers in the supply chain sector.

Labor Secretary’s Appropriations Testimony: Apprenticeship Goals Stressed, Budget Details Still Unclear

During a recent House Appropriations subcommittee hearing, U.S. Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer underscored the Trump administration’s ambitious goal of reaching 1 million new registered apprenticeships annually. She highlighted early progress in 2025, with nearly 83,000 new apprentices and over 900 new apprenticeship programs launched so far. The secretary pointed to an April executive order directing the Departments of Labor, Education, and Commerce to develop a national expansion plan within four months, with a focus on boosting partnerships and tapping into high-growth and emerging sectors.

However, Democratic lawmakers pressed Chavez-DeRemer for clarity on how these apprenticeship goals will be funded, especially as the administration proposes a 35% cut to the Department of Labor’s budget—about $4.7 billion. Concerns were raised over potential impacts on programs like Job Corps and local apprenticeships tied to community colleges. While Chavez-DeRemer framed the budget changes as a “reevaluation,” critics warned that bundling workforce funds into block grants could reduce overall support and place proven programs at risk. The full budget details are expected in the coming weeks. More information here.

Industry and Lawmakers Call for Workforce Investment at Washington Post Live

At the recent Washington Post Live forum, top lawmakers and corporate leaders gathered to discuss the future of U.S. manufacturing—with a major focus on the workforce needed to support it. Senator Todd Young (R-Ind.) and Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Tex.) emphasized that revitalizing U.S. manufacturing must go hand-in-hand with rebuilding the talent pipeline, especially as a wave of retirements looms across the industrial base. Senator Young called for a sharper focus on education from pre-K through community college, identifying it as a national security priority. He also stressed the importance of reshoring high value-added manufacturing jobs—those tied to national and economic security—rather than attempting to bring back all low-skill, labor-intensive work. McCaul echoed the urgency, pointing to critical sectors like defense and semiconductors where talent shortages threaten U.S. competitiveness.

Industry leaders reinforced the call for strategic workforce development. Barbara Humpton, CEO of Siemens USA, highlighted how advanced technologies like industrial AI and digital twin platforms are transforming manufacturing, but require a new generation of skilled workers. Samsung EVP Cordell Hull shared the company’s five-star workforce strategy, which includes local K–12 STEM outreach and university partnerships aimed at bridging a 1.4 million STEM talent gap. Across the board, speakers agreed: reshoring and innovation cannot succeed without bold, sustained investment in the American workforce. Watch the recorded event here.

How Things Are Made – A Journey Through the Hidden World of Manufacturing

In the newly-published How Things Are Made: A Journey Through the Hidden World of Manufacturing, Tim Minshall provides an in-depth look at the systems and processes behind the production of everyday items. From factory floors to global supply chains, Minshall traces how products like cars, food, electronics, and medical devices are designed, manufactured, and delivered. He walks readers through four industrial revolutions, explaining how innovations—from steam power to automation and AI—have shaped modern manufacturing and introduced new challenges, including managing demand, supply chain disruptions, and environmental impacts.

Minshall also explores the trade-offs manufacturers face in areas like product design, inventory management, and production flexibility. He discusses how companies respond to changing consumer preferences and highlights strategies such as outsourcing, component standardization, and adaptable machinery. The book includes examples ranging from toilet paper production to semiconductor fabrication and emphasizes manufacturing’s role in both economic activity and environmental sustainability. Aimed at general readers, students, and educators, How Things Are Made offers a broad overview of the modern manufacturing landscape and its relevance to daily life.

Hands-On Training Prepares Gen Z for “Gold-Collar” Careers in the Chemical Industry

At San Jacinto College in Pasadena, Texas, students are learning to operate petrochemical plants through immersive, hands-on training in a life-like facility called the glycol unit — a scaled-down, multi-story mock chemical plant. Programs like the college’s Process Technology (PTEC) degree are helping young adults, including students like 25-year-old Cole Downs, discover lucrative career paths in advanced manufacturing.

The Texas-Louisiana Gulf Coast is a hub for chemical production — it’s where most of the major petrochemicals are produced in the United States. It's part of a supercluster of advanced manufacturing that is a critical source of "gold-collar" jobs, where six-figure salaries are within reach for those with just a 2-year degree. However, they require mechanical know-how — a skill set less familiar to many in Gen Z, raised in a more digitally focused environment.

Through realistic simulation tests and active problem-solving exercises observed by industry recruiters, students build critical skills and confidence. Employers value this training as a solution to the skills gap created by a retiring workforce and a generation less exposed to hands-on mechanical tasks.

As Gen Z steps up, programs like San Jacinto’s ensure they are not only digitally fluent but also well-equipped to meet the demands of modern manufacturing. Listen/Read the Report here.

The Future of Manufacturing Might Be in Space

In a recent piece for WIRED, science journalist Jonathan O’Callaghan explores the emerging frontier of in-space manufacturing, a once-experimental concept now gaining real commercial traction. The article covers how companies like Astral Materials are developing high-temperature orbital furnaces to grow ultrapure crystals used in semiconductors and pharmaceuticals. It highlights how the microgravity environment of space enables manufacturing processes that are impossible on Earth due to gravity, potentially resetting performance limits in materials science. The piece also examines how lower launch costs, innovations in reentry technology, and recent milestones—such as Varda Space Industries’ return of drug crystals from orbit—are accelerating the viability of this new industry. With projections that in-space manufacturing could become a $100 billion market by 2035, the article outlines a rapidly evolving landscape that includes not only orbital factories but also the long-term potential of asteroid mining.

Deloitte Report: Smart Manufacturing Driving Gains, But Implementation Challenges Remain

A recent study released by Deloitte reveals that investments in smart manufacturing are delivering measurable benefits across the industry—but significant challenges remain in workforce readiness, cybersecurity, and operational execution.

According to the Smart Manufacturing and Operations: Navigating Challenges to Implementation report, companies that have embraced smart manufacturing technologies are seeing up to a 20% improvement in production output and employee productivity, along with a 15% gain in operational capacity. The findings underscore the growing influence of Industry 4.0 in reshaping manufacturing competitiveness.

However, the report also highlights several critical barriers to widespread adoption. Talent shortages remain a top concern, with nearly half of surveyed manufacturers reporting difficulty filling production and operations roles. Cybersecurity threats and operational risks tied to new technology implementations also emerged as key risks, particularly as more companies integrate AI, cloud computing, and the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT).

While automation and AI are seen as essential to addressing labor constraints and improving efficiency, Deloitte’s data shows that human capital readiness is lagging, with workforce training ranking as the lowest-maturity area in the smart manufacturing landscape. Just 48% of respondents said they have established training and adoption standards for smart technologies.

The study surveyed 600 executives from major U.S.-based manufacturers with annual revenues exceeding $500 million. Looking ahead, 78% of respondents plan to allocate at least 20% of their improvement budgets to smart manufacturing initiatives over the next two years, with process automation and advanced scheduling systems leading the list of priorities.

NPR Planet Money: “Why aren't Americans filling the manufacturing jobs we already have?”

Despite massive federal investments and political momentum behind reshoring, U.S. manufacturers are struggling to fill nearly half a million open jobs. A tight labor market is only part of the challenge—many positions require specialized skills that take years to develop, and outdated perceptions about manufacturing discourage new entrants. With an aging workforce and rising demand, projections estimate the need for 3.8 million additional workers by 2033—half of which may go unfilled if action isn’t taken.

Data from the Manufacturing Institute and Deloitte highlights the urgency of the situation: more than 65% of manufacturing companies cite worker recruitment and retention as their number one business challenge. And although employers have increased wages—helping reduce open positions from a peak of over 1 million in April 2022—the pipeline of skilled talent remains insufficient. Apprenticeships and technical training programs are part of the solution, but meaningful progress will depend on scaling these efforts nationally to meet growing demand and prevent future labor shortages from stalling U.S. manufacturing’s resurgence.

Harry Moser, the founder and president of the Reshoring Initiative, argues that America should invest much more heavily in apprenticeships to build the manufacturing workforce of the future. Apprenticeships provide young people with pathways to learn vocational skills without having to obtain an expensive, four-year college degree. Moser says that American leaders have overemphasized college to the detriment of vocational training and that the U.S. system of apprenticeships pales in comparison with the ones in countries like Germany and Switzerland. Read the full item here.

Senate HELP Committee Advances Nominee for OCTAE Assistant Secretary and ETA Assistant Secretary

The Senate HELP Committee voted to advance several of the President’s nominees at the Department of Labor (DOL), the Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission and the Department of Education (ED). Included in these nominees is Kevin O’Farrell, nominated to serve as Assistant Secretary of Office of Career, Technical and Adult Education(OCTAE) and Henry Mack III to serve as Assistant Secretary of Labor for the Employment and Training Administration. 

Department of Education Announces Grant Priorities

The Department of Education announced competitive grant priorities for use in currently authorized discretionary grant programs and those that may be authorized in the future. The first proposed priority is promoting evidence-based literacy, referencing the latest results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) scores that showed a lag in literacy for 4th and 8th grade learners. Second, ED proposes prioritizing an expansion of educational choice through an increase in charter school access and resources related to Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) education and CTE. This priority also references a need for more choice in curriculum that incorporates work-based learning and leads to apprenticeship opportunities. The third priority is returning education to the states through supporting governors, workforce development agencies, higher education agencies, and state educational agencies. ED is soliciting comments and feedback from the public on these proposed priorities over the next 30 days. Read more about the priorities here.

Over Half of Hiring Managers Say Recent Grads are Unprepared for the Workforce

Most hiring managers feel skeptical about the capabilities and professionalism of young workers joining the workforce, with 1 in 6 saying they’re reluctant to hire the cohort, according to a May 6 report from Resume.org. More than half of hiring managers said recent graduates were unprepared for the workforce and difficult to manage, while 78% said recent graduates spend too much time on their phones.