Breakout Sessions
Building Skills at Scale: Advancing Life Sciences Talent Through Cross-Sector Partnerships
At Johnson & Johnson, cross–sector partnerships expand talent pipelines and build job–ready skills. The model combines skills-based training, apprenticeships and applied learning across multiple states. It brings together leadership strategy and plant–level execution to address workforce challenges. The session offers practical approaches for building scalable, future-ready workforce ecosystems.
FOCUS: Partnerships
LEVEL: Intermediate
At Trane Technologies, leaders and frontline employees are equipped with tools to have clear, consistent career conversations. The approach includes defined career pathways, planning tools and structured conversations supported by guides and real employee stories. These efforts help employees envision long-term growth within the organization and understand the steps needed to advance. Sites using this model have seen stronger engagement, improved retention and increased internal mobility.
FOCUS: Employee career planning, training, job frameworks
LEVEL: Intermediate
Designing Scalable Manufacturing Onboarding: A Pull-Based, Supervisor-Led Approach
At Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, onboarding shifted from a traditional batch model to a pull–based approach aligned to production demand. Employees start when available and connect to their team immediately, reducing downtime. Supervisors lead onboarding in real work environments using actual equipment and conditions. This approach improves safety learning, reduces ramp-up time and strengthens early engagement.
FOCUS:Onboarding, frontline leadership
LEVEL: Foundational
At Pfizer, the Colleagues, Culture and Community strategy improves engagement and reduces attrition across its workforce. The approach combines global priorities with site–level flexibility through self–assessments, feedback and targeted improvements to drive progress. Focus areas include workplace environment, well–being and culture, reinforced through accountability and recognition. Early results show higher engagement and lower turnover.
FOCUS: Employee engagement, culture, retention
LEVEL: Intermediate
From Equipment to Ecosystem: How 3M and GPS Education Partners Co-Designed a Scalable Manufacturing Talent Pipeline
3M and GPS Education Partners redesigned program launches through structured co–design sessions with manufacturers, schools and colleges. The process guides partners through six phases to build aligned, student-centered talent pathways. Outputs include defined pathways, implementation plans and measurable outcomes. This model strengthens partnerships and creates more scalable workforce pipelines.
FOCUS: Education partnerships, student engagement, curriculum design
LEVEL: Foundational
From LMS to Workforce Engine: Scaling Manufacturing Talent Through Digital Learning Pathways
At American Composites Manufacturers Association (ACMA), traditional training was transformed into a blended model that combines digital learning, instructor–led training, hands–on experience and certification pathways. Static materials were converted into interactive modules organized into structured learning paths with practice–based assessments. This approach improves accessibility, consistency and scalability while maintaining hands–on learning, offering a practical framework that manufacturers can apply in their own organizations.
FOCUS: Training, assessments, skills, digital learning
LEVEL: Foundational
From Shop Tours to Shop Floors: How Local Outreach Helped Build a Manufacturing Workforce from the Ground Up
At KMM Group, workforce strategy shifted from reactive hiring to long–term community engagement. The approach includes school partnerships, mentorships, internships and sustained outreach to students and educators. By building trust and visibility over time, the company strengthened awareness of manufacturing careers. This strategy supports sustainable hiring and stronger talent pipelines.
FOCUS: Student engagement, community building
LEVEL: Foundational
At JBM Packaging, a 12–month workforce model connects hiring, development and leadership progression, including intentional support for fair chance talent. Employees advance through four stages supported by coaching, clear expectations and structured development. The shift from a shorter model improved retention, leadership performance and workforce stability. This system shows how long–term investment and supervisor engagement can drive lasting results. This session is also supported by JBM Packaging’s partner, Rezme.
FOCUS: Second chance hiring, employee support strategies
LEVEL: Intermediate
YKTA shifted from competing for external talent to building a “grow your own” workforce model. The approach creates structured pathways that move entry-level employees from onboarding through certification, cross training, leadership readiness and internal promotion. Rather than relying on a tight labor market, YKTA focuses on developing talent from within—strengthening retention, building skills and creating opportunities for long-term career growth.
FOCUS: Incumbent talent development, leadership development, career pathways
LEVEL: Intermediate
Maintenance Technician Pipeline: Statewide Curriculum Redesign for Industry Readiness
At Ivy Tech, technical programs are redesigned into a unified, modular framework aligned with industry needs. The model shifts from multiple degree pathways to a shared foundation with specialized training in maintenance and automation. This approach ensures consistent, high–demand skill development across regions while providing a scalable solution to address manufacturing talent shortages.
FOCUS: Postsecondary pathways, system change, employer–directed training
LEVEL: Advanced
The Careers Electric™ initiative, led by Siemens Foundation, builds a coalition–based model to scale electrical workforce training. It connects multiple entry points, including pre–apprenticeship programs, community college pathways and advanced credentials. The approach uses employer leadership and accountability to drive results and is designed to scale nationally, with strong early demand and growth projections.
FOCUS: Industry coalition, systems building
LEVEL: Intermediate
From Cost Control to Capability Advantage: Scaling Skills and the Total Workforce for Manufacturing Performance
At Dow, a total workforce strategy is built around skills visibility and the intentional deployment across employees and contract labor. By aligning work to skills rather than headcount, leaders redeploy talent, simplify operations and maintain performance during a downturn. The approach improves workforce utilization, reduces operational risk and helps sustain customer delivery. It offers a practical framework that manufacturers of any size can adapt to build a more agile workforce.
FOCUS: Workforce planning, skills, talent reorganization
LEVEL: Intermediate
At Rheem Manufacturing, AI agents are embedded into daily workflows to coach employees through structured problem solving. This approach captures expert knowledge, standardizes decision–making and provides real-time support to frontline workers without replacing human judgment. By integrating AI into day-to-day work, Rheem reduces reliance on a few experts while improving consistency across operations. Results include faster issue resolution, less rework and stronger problem-solving capabilities.
FOCUS: AI, knowledge transfer
LEVEL: Intermediate
At Westminster Tool, emotional intelligence strengthens communication, coaching and team resilience. This approach helped new hires, many without manufacturing experience, successfully grow into independent roles. Early gaps in emotional intelligence also helped identify misalignment quickly. The session shows how emotional intelligence can improve retention, accelerate development and strengthen workforce performance.
FOCUS: Leadership development, emotional intelligence
LEVEL: Advanced
Audience Levels for Breakout Sessions
To keep the 2026 Workforce Summit dynamic and impactful, every breakout includes an audience experience level selected by the presenter(s). These levels are provided to help attendees find the sessions that match their background, interests and confidence in workforce development so everyone gets the right mix of inspiration and practical value.
- Foundational: Ideal for attendees who are just getting started. These sessions introduce core concepts, provide definitions and walk through step‑by‑step approaches with proven examples participants can adapt.
- Accessible ROI: Clear explanations of the value or impact generated (e.g., early outcomes, cost savings, efficiency improvements)
- Intermediate: Designed for those who have supported or piloted workforce initiatives. These sessions offer tools, frameworks and lessons learned to help attendees improve, scale or refine existing efforts.
- Applied ROI: Demonstrated outcomes from manufacturer implementation (e.g., productivity gains, reduced turnover, cost avoidance, retention improvements)
- Advanced: Built for experienced leaders shaping strategy across teams or partners. These sessions focus on benchmarking, ROI, system‑level thinking, and innovative models to test, pressure‑check and advance.
- Strategic ROI: Long-term value, system-wide outcomes, multi-year impact models, and strategic returns (e.g., innovation capacity, reduced operational risk, culture transformation)
Unique and Relevant Topics
Real-World Challenges and Solutions
Collaboration and Partnership-Building in Real‑Time
Current and Future-Looking Strategies
One of a Kind
