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June 2025 Issue: AI and Industry 5.0 — Manufacturers go all in

By Design World Staff | June 9, 2025

It starts at the kitchen table

Partnerships have been a recurring theme at the industry events I’ve attended thus far this year. Many organizations understand the need for manufacturers, academia, and government to work collaboratively to understand where we’re at, where we need to go, and how to get there. Technology is catching up to fulfill our visions for the future, and the elephant in the room is driving innovation’s pace.

Everyone is concerned about the workforce gap, and many are scrambling to figure out how to increase automation, optimize human capability and performance, and entice younger workers to join their teams. And despite diminishing DEI requirements and practices nationwide, many individuals and companies still recognize the need to broaden their workforce and attract people with different perspectives.

At a recent event hosted by NextFlex and Ohio TechNet at Lorain County Community College, the speakers emphasized the workforce trend of skills-based hiring. They anticipate employers such as the U.S. Department of Defense will increasingly seek job-ready students trained in specific technologies and disciplines. In response, colleges are working closely with industries and government agencies to learn what skills they need and devise corresponding curricula, hands-on training, and certification programs to fill the gap.

“What have the last ten years taught us?” said Brynt Parmeter, chief talent management officer at the U.S. Department of Defense. “There’s no single institution, no one school, company, or government agency that can do this alone, and it takes partnerships. It takes building these ecosystems where ideas can flow and students can connect with industry mentors, where education aligns with the demands of the real world.”

But how do you get students to enroll in such programs, let alone fill the gaps? Dan Gamota, executive director of NextFlex, believes nurturing the future workforce begins well before the college years. NextFlex developed the FlexFactor program to introduce K-12 students to advanced technology and automation and has already engaged more than 6,800 students across Ohio.

“A lot of times it starts at the kitchen table. We, as parents, need to let our children know that things will change … When you go home today and you talk to your children, talk about FlexFactor, talk about how Ohio is the beginning of the resurgence of manufacturing,” said Gamota. “AI is here … Digital twin is coming … Autonomous is here … It’s the ability to have individuals oversee all these operations, the technicians necessary to design them, and the engineers to help support them. There’s a huge gap.”

The message is clear: talk to your kids, talk to each other, and join partnerships to expand solution sets, broaden your net, and attract more individuals who are ready to get to work.

Rachael Pasini
Editor-in-Chief
[email protected]
linkedin.com/in/rachaelpasini

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