business backgrounder | education and workforce
Keeping the‘ Work’ in Workforce Development
Accelerated mechatronics program builds workforce resilience.
Edie Jeffers
Clover Park Technical College contextualizes curriculum with workforce partners that want to upskill their employees— and keep the employment pipeline flowing.
At A Glance
Advanced manufacturing is fast-paced and high-tech.
Employers face hiring challenges as minimum hiring standards climb and retirements create workforce gaps.
Employees need to be able to train while they work.
www. cptc. edu / programs / mechatronics
Maddie Merton has her eye on how the South Sound can remain competitive in the advanced manufacturing sector. In her role as vice president for business retention and expansion at the Tacoma- Pierce County Economic Development Board, she supports regional strategies to retain talent and recruit new business investment.
Today’ s tech-driven factory floors need
“ AI won’ t replace your job— but a human using AI will. So, we teach students how to be that human.”
— Claire Korschinowski, dean of instruction at Clover Park Technical College
workers with software fluency and real-time critical thinking skills, she said.
But in the field of mechatronics, where smart machines meet precision engineering, a talent cliff is on the horizon. The rapid shifts in required skills and rising retirements are creating a gap.
“ We’ ve got Boeing, Globe Machine, Pacific Box, SeaTac Packaging— all companies who’ ve invested heavily and would directly benefit from this skill set,” said Merton.
But unfilled roles mean losing out on jobs, growth, and international competition.
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