151: Building AI and Automation into Technical College Curriculums with Richard Barnhouse, President of WCTC (Waukesha County Technical College)

<p>There’s no escaping AI and automation! But what’s the best way to integrate them into technical college curriculums and provide the next generation of manufacturing professionals with the education they need?&nbsp;</p><p>Who better to answer that question than Richard Barnhouse, President of Waukesha County Technical College?&nbsp;</p><p>Richard joins this episode of Manufacturing Happy Hour to share his insights, why he believes Wisconsin is the hub of higher ed transformation and why he strives to provide high-quality AI and automation programs and certificates.&nbsp;</p><p>Plus, he gives advice on getting feedback from the community and tells us why 2023 is the “good old days” of hiring humans.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p><strong>In this episode, find out:&nbsp;</strong></p><ul><li>Richard’s roots in the industry&nbsp;</li><li>Why he joined Waukesha County Technical College&nbsp;</li><li>Why he believes industry has been organically evolving at an unbelievable pace&nbsp;</li><li>The best ways to get feedback from the community&nbsp;</li><li>How the Wisconsin technical college system can transform higher ed across the country&nbsp;</li><li>Why it’s Richard’s role to keep manufacturing going in Wisconsin&nbsp;</li><li>Why WCTC have created AI and automation programs&nbsp;</li><li>Why 2023 is the ‘good old days’ of hiring humans&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><strong>Tweetable Quotes:&nbsp;</strong></p><ul><li><em>“If you're going to lead an organization that responds to the community, get out there, throw on some boots and get under a machine to see what the real needs are.”</em>&nbsp;</li><li><em>“We’re going to see higher education get better. It’s going to become more streamlined, more efficient. It will be forced to improve dramatically in order to stay in business.”</em