Networking Breakfast

Start the day by meeting manufacturers, educators, workforce partners and industry experts from across the country. Visit sponsor displays, make new connections and plan your Summit experience before sessions begin.

Welcome

Innovation Through People: GE Appliances and the Future of Manufacturing (GE Appliances)

The future of manufacturing depends on people as much as technology. In this keynote, GE Appliances leaders Bill Good and Tami Hatfield share how the company's Zero Distance strategy drives direct engagement between leaders and front-line employees — turning feedback into continuous innovation. Rather than treating improvement as a top-down initiative, GE Appliances empowers workers on the floor to identify problems and shape solutions, creating a culture where every voice carries weight. Bill and Tami will also show how this philosophy extends beyond daily operations, through investments in apprenticeships, technical education and partnerships that position manufacturing as a compelling career choice for the next generation of talent. The results speak for themselves: this approach has helped fill 4,000 new jobs, support $3.5 billion in U.S. manufacturing investment, and propel GE Appliances to become the #1 appliance company in the U.S.

The Work Redesign Gap: Where AI Outpaces Roles and Norms (PwC)

AI is changing work faster than roles, workflows and norms can keep up, and frontline workers across manufacturing are stepping in to fill the gap. Join us for an early look at findings from PwC and MI's Workforce Redesign Gap Survey, exploring where informal workarounds are emerging on the shop floor, how team behaviors are shaping AI use, and where alignment matters most for performance. You'll also have the opportunity to review initial results and contribute your perspective to help inform the final findings.

Designing Scalable Manufacturing Onboarding: A Pull-Based, Supervisor-Led Approach (Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories)

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

From Equipment to Ecosystem: How 3M and GPS Education Partners Co-Designed a Scalable Manufacturing Talent Pipeline (3M & GPS Education Partners)

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

Using Emotional Intelligence to Manage Successfully (Westminster Tool)

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

Maintenance Technician Pipeline: Scaling Industry Readiness through Statewide Curriculum (Ivy Tech & Amatrol)

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

Career Conversations That Move People: A Playbook for Hourly Talent Progression (Trane Technologies)

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

From Cost Control to Capability Advantage: Scaling Skills and the Total Workforce for Manufacturing Performance (Dow)

At Dow, a total workforce strategy is built around skills visibility and 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

From LMS to Workforce Engine: Scaling Manufacturing Talent Through Digital Learning Pathways (Miles Fiberglass & Composites and ACMA)

At the 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

Powering America's Manufacturing Comeback: A Coalition Blueprint Across Competitors for Solving the Electrical Workforce Crisis (Siemens Foundation & Careers Electric)

The Careers Electric initiative, led by the 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 Shop Tours to Shop Floors: How Local Outreach Helped Build a Manufacturing Workforce from the Ground Up (KMM Group)

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

Building Skills at Scale: Advancing Life Sciences Talent Through Cross-Sector Partnerships (Johnson & Johnson)

This session will highlight how Johnson & Johnson is strengthening the life sciences workforce through innovative, cross-sector collaborations that expand talent pipelines and build job-ready skills. Drawing on initiatives with community colleges and economic development organizations, as well as workforce investments in key states, the discussion will showcase how public-private partnerships, apprenticeship models and applied learning experiences are addressing talent acquisition and retention challenges. Featuring perspectives from both strategic leadership and on-the-ground operators, the session will focus on four core pillars — strategic partnerships, skills-based training, experiential learning and scalable workforce models — and provide practical, transferable insights for organizations looking to build a resilient, future-ready manufacturing workforce.

Focus: Partnerships • Level: Intermediate

Become a Workforce Strategist: Lead the Change on Your Plant Floor (The Manufacturing Institute)

Manufacturers everywhere are wrestling with the same talent challenges. The ones who come out ahead are the ones who invest early in a clear workforce strategy. Join the Manufacturing Institute's Workforce Innovation team for an interactive session where we'll preview our new Workforce Strategist Course, built to help you diagnose your toughest challenges and leverage real-time SMEs who have conquered the same hills and valleys. Along the way, you'll build retention and upskilling strategies tailored to your environment and forge the external partnerships — with schools, workforce boards and community organizations — that keep your pipeline full. Manufacturing needs workforce strategists. Not just workforce programs.

Focus: Strategic workforce planning, leadership development, internal and external alignment • Level: Advanced

95,000 Postings in One Year: Ohio's Employer-Led Answer to the Manufacturing Workforce Gap (CareerWise)

Ohio manufacturers faced 95,000 openings during 2024 in operator and technician roles. The traditional talent pipeline was never going to catch up to that kind of demand. Ohio's answer was manufacturer-led program design and a rebuild of the state's funding, credit and data systems to accelerate youth apprenticeship. This session brings together CareerWise, America's leading youth apprenticeship intermediary, the Ohio state agency that moved the money and the rules, the association representing 1,400 Ohio manufacturers, and a manufacturer currently hosting apprentices on the floor in Ohio. Panelists will walk through what it takes to start a youth apprenticeship program, what supervisors have to change, when the ROI really becomes meaningful, and how The Ohio Manufacturing Association teamed up with the state and educational partners to enable more apprenticeship through policy change. Attendees leave with the sequence Ohio ran and the playbook to get started at home.

Focus: Youth talent, policy change, apprenticeship ROI • Level: Foundational

General Sessions

Return to the mainstage for featured perspectives on the workforce trends and strategies shaping manufacturing. These sessions bring the full Summit audience together to hear from industry leaders, research partners and organizations advancing new approaches to workforce development.

Brewing Solutions

Grab a pre-reception drink and/or a sweet treat and join us for a Brewing Solutions session! These lively, facilitated conversations are designed to spark honest dialogue about the workforce opportunities and challenges shaping manufacturing today. Intentionally informal, Brewing Solutions sessions create space for attendees to ask questions, compare approaches, and discuss what's working, what's not and what's still being figured out. Pull up a chair for one of our most popular breakout experiences year after year.

Sessions:

Behind the Brew

What’s on Tap for Talent

What’s the Scoop on Culture (sponsored by the National Organization on Disability)

Brain Freeze Breakthrough

General Session

LAUNCH: Redefining Access to Opportunity (YKTA)

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

Reimagining the Frontline: Building AI-Ready Workers Before the Gap Becomes a Crisis (McKinsey & Company)

At McKinsey & Company, leaders are helping manufacturers confront the growing gap between rapid AI adoption and limited investment in frontline talent. With a structured six-enabler framework spanning strategy, operating model, training, technology, partnerships and culture, this approach shows how to build AI-ready workforces at scale. Manufacturers are shifting from viewing talent as a cost to measuring labor performance and ROI alongside capital investments. The result is a practical roadmap to strengthen workforce capability, improve retention and unlock long-term value.

Focus: AI • Level: Foundational

From 10 Days to 1: A Manufacturer's Playbook for Hiring Fair Chance Talent at Scale (JBM Packaging)

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.

Focus: Second chance hiring, employee support strategies • Level: Intermediate • This session is also supported by JBM Packaging's partner, Rezme.

Tribal Knowledge to Scaled Capability: Using AI to Train Problem Solvers (Rheem Manufacturing)

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

Breakout Sessions

General Session

Program Closing and Lunch To Go

Come back together for final reflections and a look at how attendees can carry the Summit's ideas, resources and connections into their work. Boxed lunches will be available to take with you as the program concludes.