The TechEd Podcast

Nikki Gonzales has built a career at the intersection of industrial automation, software, and systems thinking, and in this episode, she makes the case that the next chapter of manufacturing won’t be defined by AI alone. It will be defined by how well people understand process, data, machines, and the interfaces that connect them. The future of automation is as much about human judgment and lifelong learning as it is about smarter ...

What skills actually matter in technical careers now that the work is more digital, more automated, and more interconnected?

Industrial employers are not asking schools to choose between hard skills and soft skills. They're asking for both, and they still need the hard skills to come first. At Bosch, Justin Allen sees that every day: teamwork, drive, and professionalism matter, but technical problems don't get solved unles...

Imagine being able to track your brain health before serious decline sets in, understand your personal risk factors, and intervene early enough to help prevent dementia rather than simply react to it.

In this episode of The TechEd Podcast, Matt Kirchner talks with Christin Glorioso, MD, PhD, founder and CEO of NeuroAge Therapeutics, about one of the most intriguing frontiers in health and longevity right now: whether brain aging can...

Artificial intelligence is moving from novel feature to core infrastructure, and that shift is forcing companies, schools and regulators to confront a harder question than how to use the technology: how to govern it.

In this episode of The TechEd Podcast, Matt Kirchner talks with Patrick Sullivan, Vice President of Strategy & Innovation at A-LIGN, about the emerging rules of the AI economy. From the EU AI Act and a patchwork of ...

Are employers hurting themselves by only asking for 'soft skills' and ignoring their real technical needs? How can homeschool students get the same access to STEM labs as students in traditional schools? And what can education leaders learn from the way the Manhattan Project mobilized talent and innovation to solve an enormous problem?

These questions (and more!) came directly from the you, and we're answering them on...

What does the rise of AI mean for technical programs? Surprisingly, it's not a new concept to CTE fields. It is embedded in robotics, automation, diagnostics, and data modeling across modern manufacturing facilities today.

In this episode of The TechEd Podcast, Matt Kirchner sits down with Dr. Andrew Neuendorf, Associate Dean of Manufacturing, Engineering, Trades, and Transportation at Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC),...

The labor market is evolving faster than traditional signals of competence can keep up. Roles are shifting, technology is accelerating, and employers are searching for clearer ways to identify real capability. In that environment, degrees remain valuable, but verified skills are becoming increasingly central to hiring and advancement.

In a marketplace now saturated with more than a million credentials, clarity has become the differe...

Over the past several years, many leaders have noticed a subtle but meaningful shift inside their organizations: the erosion of basic workplace courtesies, particularly from younger employees new to the professional workplace. Not misconduct; not ethical lapses. But something more subtle. Employees announcing time off instead of requesting it. Cameras off in meetings. Missed meetings treated casually. Messages left unanswered for a...

Imagine giving middle and high school students a full week to explore careers without grades, homework, or “regular” classes. That’s the core idea behind Camanche Community School District's J-term: a dedicated pause in the academic grind that turns school into a career-exploration lab, where 5th-12th grade students can test-drive career fields, build confidence, and discover options they didn’t even know existed. 

That's ...

Your organization doesn’t have a data problem. It has an intelligence problem: the gap between having information and being able to act on it with speed, clarity, and confidence. That gap shows up everywhere: hospitals, schools, manufacturers, and any team drowning in dashboards while leaders still wait on someone to “find the story.”

Rick Anderson (Chairman & CEO, The Hive Health) is back to show just how much AI has impacted o...

The U.S. Department of the Interior manages the nation’s most consequential assets—public lands and waters, energy resources, and critical minerals—making it a crucial center for AI capabilities, national security, and workforce opportunity.

In this episode of The TechEd Podcast, host Matt Kirchner sits down with Doug Burgum, U.S. Secretary of the Interior, to connect the dots between Interior's responsibilities and the next ge...

Most leaders have a vision, a plan, and the authority to move it forward, but real momentum shows up when you understand how culture is being shaped through trust and influence behind the scenes.

Host Matt Kirchner sits down with Dr. Ben Johnson, Assistant Superintendent for Secondary Schools at Bismarck Public Schools, and Bobby Dodd, Assistant Principal at May River High School, co-authors of Intentional Influence. They break down...

Higher education is shifting toward a connected model where colleges and universities function as one learner ecosystem. The goal is simple: make credentials stackable, transfer predictable, and pathways flexible enough for learners to move in and out of education as their careers evolve.

In this episode of The TechEd Podcast, Matt Kirchner speaks with Dr. Katherine Frank (Chancellor, University of Wisconsin–Stout) and Dr. Sunem Bea...

What actually happens inside those massive Amazon facilities—and how do products arrive at your door with such astonishing speed?

In this episode of The TechEd Podcast, host Matt Kirchner explores these questions with Amanda Willard, Strategic Workforce Development, and Logan Schulz, Senior Manager of Reliability & Maintenance Engineering at Amazon. They take us behind the scenes of the advanced robotics, mechatronics, and autom...

With states stepping directly into the venture capital arena, a major shift is underway in how early-stage companies are funded—and where the next generation of innovation will be built.

In this episode of The TechEd Podcast, host Matt Kirchner dives into this emerging movement with Pete Martin, Director of Portfolio Management at the MSU Research Foundation, and Alison Todak, Vice President of Entrepreneurship & Innovation at t...

With the pace of change in technology, geopolitics, infrastructure, and the economy, what should technical educators and workforce leaders be watching most closely in 2026?

In this year’s annual Predictions episode, host Matt Kirchner shares the fifth edition of a listener-favorite tradition, scoring last year's predictions and looking ahead to the trends and technologies that will shape Tech Ed in 2026.

What's in store for...

Watch the episode on Youtube: https://youtu.be/f5gWUVQI0jI

Melissa Martin and Matt Kirchner are back to answer your questions, covering everything from university curriculum design, to AI in the classroom, to what employers actually expect when they invest in education.

This one moves fast, but it’s focused: how do you build programs that truly prepare students for modern work? How do you keep education from falling behind as technol...

The clearest way to understand Ronald Reagan’s leadership may not be from a podium, but from a saddle, a woodpile, and a quiet table where he worked through the ideas that shaped an era.

In this on-location episode of The TechEd Podcast, host Matt Kirchner sits down with former Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker inside the Reagan Ranch Center, recorded at the same table and microphones Reagan used for his radio addresses. The conversat...

In this episode of The TechEd Podcast, host Matt Kirchner sits down with Irv Blumkin, Chairman of Nebraska Furniture Mart (NFM), and Ryan Blumkin, Executive Vice President, to unpack nearly 90 years of retail innovation, from Mrs. B’s pawn-shop beginnings to multi-acre campuses in Omaha, Kansas City, Dallas, and soon Austin. They explore what it’s like to partner with Warren Buffett and Berkshire Hathaway, build massive destination...