Volume 2, Issue 1 | January 2021
Progress Inside the Project
Preparing Technicians for the Future of Work project continues to develop regional partnerships with its most recent convening for the Texas Gulf Coast Region. This convening was a series of virtual meetings held in the Fall of 2020 and brought together representatives from Gulf Coast employers, education institutions, and non-profit workforce development organizations.

The Center for Occupational Research and Development (CORD), the project’s host institution, partnered with San Jacinto College in Pasadena, Texas and the Greater Houston Partnership to convene the three, 90-minute Zoom meetings. Each session concentrated on one of the three categories of cross-cutting skills that the project has identified as essential for technicians to understand in the future.

  • Business Knowledge and Processes
  • Advanced Digital Literacy
  • Data Knowledge and Analysis
 
Led by San Jacinto College, this group of Gulf Coast regional representatives continues to meet in 2021 as they delve further into the critical cross-cutting skills as they relate to their their specific sectors and industry and discuss strategies to integrate these into education. Read more about this.
Seeking Subject Matter Experts
The project's Instructional cards are almost ready for prime time. The cards will cover 43 cross-cutting knowledge and skills that experts advising the Preparing Technicians for the Future of Work project consider essential for STEM technicians to learn in the next decade.

To assist in the continued development and review of the Instructional Cards, the project is looking for SME faculty from community college technical programs in the areas of:
  • Advanced Manufacturing
  • Agricultural & Environmental
  • Biological & Chemical
  • Data Science
  • Engineering
  • Information & Security
  • Micro & Nanotechnologies
Industry Connection
Honda Talent Manager Suggests Educators Add IT Skills & Data Analysis to Industrial Maintenance Programs  
Scot McLemore, manager of Talent Acquisition and Deployment at American Honda Motor Company, Inc., places technology trends in two categories: 1) technological advances specific to the products being manufactured and 2) Industry 4.0, particularly the internet of things (IoT). To prepare technicians for advancements in both categories, he suggests educators integrate information technology (IT) basics into traditional industrial maintenance programs.

“What’s important is that those graduates have a fundamental understanding of networked systems. What are IP addresses? How do I change an IP address? So as they are plugging their laptops into manufacturing devices, they have a fundamental understanding of how those things work. That’s what I’d like to see happen. I think that’s where programs are going to need to head. Because we talk about ‘Smart Factory’ and the network systems within industrial operations, and that’s where everything is headed.” Continue reading.

By Madeline Patton
Employer Prizes Supply Chain Technician With
Strong Troubleshooting Skills 
As a regional maintenance manager for Dollar Tree’s 25 distribution centers in the continental U.S., Phil Gilkes looks for certain skills on resumes, and then listens during interviews for mention of particular technologies.
For example, it piques his interest when supply chain technician applicants respond to his question about their experience with electric motors by talking about variable frequency drives (VFDs) and servo mechanisms. “VFD and servos are extremely important everywhere in our business,” he said, explaining that many technicians struggle to fix this equipment despite their ubiquity and many years of existence.

But the skill that Gilkes considers indispensible—and that he would like technical educators to teach—is logical thinking. “If there was a magic wand, it would be to instill in technicians the ability to take a logical approach to troubleshooting. If they [technicians] were to ask, you know, just ask in their head, a few questions that start with ‘Well how should this piece of equipment be operating? Why isn’t it behaving that way? And what are the things that could have made it behave that way?’ Continue reading.

by Madeline Patton
Featured Resources
Creating an Education for Industry 4.0
In this article learn about the how the the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the future of the learn-and-work ecosystem. Programs like Work+ are being innovated to address it head-on and create an experience in which learning and working are synergetic.
National Center for Supply Chain Automation Offers Educational Resources
The National Center for Supply Chain Automation has launched new website with industry and educational resources including including a resource library, certification programs, and a list of of colleges.
Listen to the Latest Podcast
Episode 19: Digital Mastery and the Future of Work -
An Interview with Mark Maybury of
Stanley Black & Decker
Mark Maybury, Chief Technology Officer for Stanley Black & Decker, states that new technicians will need digital skills, “soft” skills, and the ability to be a lifelong learner. New, emerging jobs in a subset some call “gray collar,” require not just hands-on skills and mechanical knowledge but also digital skills in computing, data analytics, robotics, and artificial intelligence. Technicians who learn new knowledge and skills the fastest and contribute the most and collaborate most effectively will be the ones who will succeed. In addition to being able to collaborate, they will need to be good at listening and very good at understanding and empathizing. A combination of “hard” skills and “soft” skills are the key things sought from job candidates in a constantly changing future workplace.
Did you know?
Stanley Black and Decker may conjure images of power tools, but they are also in the "Hugs" business.
2 million babies in 1780 hospitals are protected by Stanley "Hugs" IOT devices to ensure that the babies and their mothers are connected together. Listen to the podcast for more about this and other ways you interact with Stanly Black and Decker more often than you might think.
Miss Something?
Miss something in this month's podcast, but don't have time to do a full listen?

Want a quick read or or find a reference from an old podcast?
Problem solved!
You can read transcripts and show notes from any of our podcasts on our podcast page.
About the Podcasts
Hosted by Mike Lesiecki, the project's monthly podcasts cover topics such as artificial intelligence, the internet-of-things, cybersecurity, advanced robotics, digital design and prototyping, and other topics at the changing interface of technology, work, and education.  In each podcast, you will hear interviews with industry leaders and working technicians in the field.

Visit our website to catch up on any of our past podcasts.


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Disclaimer: This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under NSF DUE #1839567. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.