Event runs from June 4 to June 5

Gateway Technical College’s leadership in the area of advanced manufacturing and Industry 4.0 curriculum and training has helped it to co-host the national Manufacturing Skill Standards Council and Leadership Summit, June 4 to June 5 at its Racine Campus.

The event is designed around the catalyst of economic development and pending workforce challenges Foxconn has brought to Southeastern Wisconsin.

“Advancing the dialogue around the need for advanced technical training is imperative to sustain local economies,” said Gateway Technical College President and CEO Bryan Albrecht. “This meeting will highlight the best practices employers are using to partner with education and training providers.”

Albrecht is the chairman of the training consortium. The event features corporate, government and educational leaders discussing the nationwide worker shortage in advanced manufacturing.

“There is no greater American imperative than upskilling our workforce to keep pace with technological change,” said Nick Pinchuk, chairman and CEO of Snap-on Incorporated.

Leo Reddy, MSSC chairman, said the group selected Racine as the site for our annual leadership meeting to “view firsthand how Gateway has partnered with some of America’s leading corporations in workforce training. Foxconn, Snap-on, Ashley Furniture and SC Johnson are global giants in the manufacturing sector and we can all learn from their efforts.”

Featured throughout the meeting will be Gateway’s new Industry 4.0 training and certification pathway. This next generation skill set includes artificial intelligence, additive manufacturing, cyber security, robotics and digitization technologies.

Jay Lee, senior vice chairman for Foxconn’s Industrial Internet, will address the meeting on June 5.

“The future of industrial artificial intelligence will shape the workplace and redefine the knowledge and skills required in the global competition for jobs,” said Lee. “Gateway and Foxconn are partnering to provide career paths that support an advanced manufacturing ecosystem.”

MSSC is a non-profit, industry-led training, assessment and certification system focused on the core skills and knowledge needed by the nation’s front-line production and material handling workers.