159: How Career & Technical Education (CTE) is Impacting Smart Manufacturing with Kent Powell of Amatrol

<p>Whether it’s on the job or in a traditional academic setting, education is essential to building a strong manufacturing function.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>But this episode of Manufacturing Happy Hour homes in on one specific aspect of learning – career and technical education (CTE) – and explores how it’s helping teams make better decisions and better products.&nbsp;</p><p>Amatrol’s career and technical training solutions are used in all 50 U.S. states and in 50+ countries, so we invited Kent Powell, their VP of Sales and Marketing, onto the show to let us in on some of their secrets.&nbsp;</p><p>Kent shares how Amatrol became a leader in their field, his thoughts and observations on smart manufacturing and why Louisville is a hub for education and employment.&nbsp;</p><p>Plus, he explains how Kentucky FAME program is helping students get into manufacturing roles in just two years, debt-free.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>In this episode, find out:&nbsp;</p><ul><li>About Kent’s background in aerospace&nbsp;</li><li>How Amatrol became a leader in CTE&nbsp;</li><li>What manufacturing teams need to know most&nbsp;</li><li>Kent’s insights into smart manufacturing&nbsp;</li><li>How to decide what to train staff on next&nbsp;</li><li>What manufacturing means to Louisville&nbsp;</li><li>How Kentucky Federation for Advanced Manufacturing (FAME) is impacting the industry&nbsp;</li></ul><br/><p><a href="http://manufacturinghappyhour.com/iTunes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Enjoying the show? Please leave us a review here.</a> Even one sentence helps. It’s feedback from Manufacturing All-Stars like you that keeps us going!&nbsp;</p><p>Tweetable Quotes:&nbsp;</p><ul><li><em>“By using smart sensors, as opposed to on-off switches, we’re able to collect more information, make better decisions in record speed, and make a better product in a short amount of time.”</em>&nbsp;</li><li><em>“Manufacturing is our path forward in Louisville. It’s a great place to start a manufacturing company.”</em>&nbsp;</li><li><em>“We’re nothing withou