The TechEd Podcast
Bridging the gap between technical education & the workforce 🎙 Hosted by Matt Kirchner, each episode features conversations with leaders who are shaping, innovating and disrupting the future of the skilled workforce and how we inspire and train individuals toward those jobs.
STEM, Career and Technical Education, and Engineering educators - this podcast is for you!
Manufacturing and industrial employers - this podcast is for you, too!
Episodes
249 episodes
Ask Us Anything: Workforce ROI, AI Hallucinations, and the 5 Pillars of World-Class CTE
Watch the episode on Youtube: https://youtu.be/f5gWUVQI0jIMelissa Martin and Matt Kirchner are back to answer your questions, covering everything from university curriculum design, to AI in the ...
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Episode 248
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46:40
At the Reagan Ranch: The Life & Legacy of One of America's Greatest Presidents - Scott Walker, President of Young America's Foundation
The clearest way to understand Ronald Reagan’s leadership may not be from a podium, but from a saddle, a woodpile, and a quiet table where he worked through the ideas that shaped an era.In this on-location episode of The TechEd Podca...
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Episode 247
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1:00:12
Using Values and Customer Experience to Guide an AI and Data-Driven Strategy - Irv and Ryan Blumkin, Chairman and EVP of Nebraska Furniture Mart
In this episode of The TechEd Podcast, host Matt Kirchner sits down with Irv Blumkin, Chairman of Nebraska Furniture Mart (NFM), and Ryan Blumkin, Executive Vice President, to unpack nearly 90 years of retail innovation, from Mrs. B’s ...
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Episode 246
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54:26
Six Days in China: The Speed, Scale and Strategy Outpacing U.S. Innovation - Todd Wanek, CEO of Ashley Furniture
What if you could get a behind the scenes look at China's most innovative tech companies, factories and logistics hubs—seeing how they really run and asking the questions most Americans never get to ask?This week, you do. Matt Kirchner a...
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Episode 245
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1:01:52
Applied AI on the Edge Proves There’s More to AI Than ChatGPT - Brian Cavanaugh, CEO of VigilanteX
With artificial intelligence stepping off the laptop and out onto job sites, factory floors, and flight decks, are we preparing students for the AI that sees, senses, and acts in the real world, not just the kind that...
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Episode 244
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46:28
What Is Your Region's Economic DNA? Lessons for CTE from an Aviation High School - Adam Snoddy, Principal of Butler Tech Aviation Center
How can CTE listen to regional economic and workforce needs and build a vision so big that others can't help but support it?Watch this episode on YouTube Matt Kirchner sits do...
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Episode 243
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55:23
Technical Colleges: Breaking Generational Poverty and Building Economic Mobility - Dr. Anthony Cruz, President of MATC
With technical colleges serving as the front line for breaking generational poverty, one question rises to the surface: how do we design education that truly creates economic mobility?In this episode of The TechEd Podcast, host ...
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Episode 242
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53:38
Moving from “Just-in-Case” Education to a Demand-Driven, Industry-Led Model — Paul Lavoie, VP of the University of New Haven
Higher education can’t keep teaching “just in case” knowledge. In an era where technology evolves faster than curriculum, universities must align directly with industry needs — and that’s exactly what Paul Lavoie is doing at the University of N...
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Episode 241
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54:38
How to Get Started with AI in Your Business (Practical Tips & Real Technologies) - Part 2
Watch this episode on YouTube! https://youtu.be/UbNr7vF4CC8?si=VqX2owW86GNq7OdsWhat does it really take to get started with artificial intelligence in a small or mid-sized company right here in the U.S.?In Part 2 of this two-part ...
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Episode 240
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47:22
How to Get Started with AI in Your Business (Practical Tips & Real Technologies) - Part 1
What does it really take to get started with artificial intelligence in a small or mid-sized company right here in the U.S.?We're breaking it down in this two-part series.In part 1, Matt Kirchner shares lessons from his recent t...
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Episode 239
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52:52
The $1 Trillion Workforce Opportunity for Rural Education - Duwain Pinder, Partner at McKinsey & Company
Rural America is on the brink of an economic transformation. With more than $1 trillion in advanced manufacturing investments (and nearly two-thirds of that flowing into rural regions) this moment represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity t...
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Episode 238
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49:34
A Vision Built on Alignment: Wanek Center of Innovation Reinvents the Path to Industry 4.0 Careers
When the founder of the world’s largest furniture manufacturer partners with one of the nation’s most innovative technical colleges, you get one of the most unique learning centers in the world. This week, host Matt Kirchner is joined by the vi...
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Episode 237
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1:03:00
Finding STEM (and Purpose) in Unexpected Places: Why Fashion Needs More Scientists – Michael Drescher, Vibrant Body Company
When we think of STEM, we often picture engineers, chemists, or programmers. But what about someone who patents a piece of clothing, challenges the textile industry, and builds a company around purpose-driven innovation?In a very unique ...
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Episode 236
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46:04
Ask Us Anything: Early Career Choices, the War for Talent and the Rise of AI
You asked...we answered!In this first-ever “Ask Us Anything” episode, producer Melissa Martin flips the script and poses your biggest questions to host Matt Kirchner. The result is a candid, wide-ranging conversation that covers c...
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Episode 235
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46:44
How Technical Colleges Are Redefining Learning for the Future of Work - Layla Merrifield, President of the WTCS
Haven’t been to a technical college in the last 3 years? The transformation is striking, and it’s only a glimpse of the reinvention higher education faces in the next decade.In this episode of The TechEd Podcast, host Mat...
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Episode 234
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55:52
Applied AI in K-12, Higher Ed and Industry - Live Panel from TitletownTech
What happens when K-12, higher education, manufacturing, and a startup tech company sit around the same table to talk about AI? This episode brings that rare collaboration to life.Recorded live at TitletownTech—the venture studio founded...
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Episode 233
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37:34
A Finance Pioneer’s Take on Education, Inclusion and Opportunity - Mary Ellen Stanek, Founder and Chief Investment Officer Emeritus of Baird Asset Management
Building tomorrow’s workforce starts with more than just technical skills—it requires access, mentorship, and leaders willing to invest in students long before they enter the job market.In this episode of The TechEd Podcast, Mar...
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Episode 232
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56:58
Could We Really Make Anything, Anywhere, Anytime? - Dr. Charles Johnson-Bey, ERVA Co-Principal Investigator
Distributed manufacturing allows goods to be produced closer to where they’re needed — but enabling that future requires a complete rethink of infrastructure, systems, and workforce development.In this episode of The TechEd Podcast
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Episode 231
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56:49
The $10 Million Workforce Experiment That Could Redefine Apprenticeships in America - Lindsay Blumer, CEO of WRTP | BIG STEP
Workforce systems are often fragmented—built around short-term funding, disconnected programs, and a lack of coordination between industry, education, and community.But a different model is taking shape - one that’s not only working in p...
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Episode 230
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48:49
Love It or Hate It: A Surprisingly Human (And Very Fun) Conversation About Math - Dr. Jordan Ellenberg, Mathematics Professor at the University of Wisconsin
What happens when a world-class mathematician meets ’80s college radio, Bill Gates’ top-10 favorite books, and a host with an algebra redemption arc? A surprisingly funny, fast-moving conversation. Dr. Jordan Ellenberg—John D. MacArthur Profess...
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Episode 229
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1:04:53
The Smart Farm Era Is Here—and It’s Changing How America Grows Food - Dick Pavelski and Andy Diercks, Food + Farm Exploration Center
If you still picture farming as dusty tractors and endless manual labor, think again. Today’s agriculture runs on GPS-guided equipment, drones, real-time soil sensors, and data systems that look more like Wall Street trading floors than old bar...
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Episode 228
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40:03
AI Can Close the Learning Gap in Underserved Classrooms. But We Have to Guide, Not Just Give - Sam Whitaker, Director of Social Impact at StudyFetch
In schools with limited resources, large class sizes, and wide differences in student ability, individualized learning has become a necessity. Artificial intelligence offers powerful tools to help meet those needs, especially in underserved com...
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Episode 227
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48:52
The Rules for Earning College Credit Are Changing, and Competency (Not Time in Seats) Matters Most - Dr. Paul Carlsen, President of Lakeshore College
With technical education under pressure to deliver skilled talent faster, Lakeshore College is flipping the model—measuring learning by competency, meeting students where they are (even in high school), and using grants + national advocacy to s...
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Episode 226
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48:47
Rethinking Risk: How Strategic Guardrails Can Actually Empower Innovation - Abim Kolawole, Chief Audit Executive at Northwestern Mutual
What if audit wasn’t just a watchdog—but a catalyst for innovation, trust, and long-term growth? And what can education learn from it?In this episode of The TechEd Podcast, Matt Kirchner sits down with Abim Kolawole, Chie...
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Episode 225
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49:34
They Haven't Graduated Yet, but They're Already Tackling the Big Problems of 2045 - Duncan Kane, SVP at Toshiba
In this episode of The TechEd Podcast, Duncan Kane, Senior Vice President at Toshiba America, shares insights from nearly two decades of working at the intersection of industry and education. Drawing from his leadership in STEM outreac...
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Episode 224
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48:49