This week, I’m joined by two powerhouse leaders doing the heavy lifting to strengthen our country’s innovation economy—Shalin Jyotishi from New America and Deb Volzer from SME. These folks aren’t just talking about change—they’re out there building the systems to make it happen. Shalin walks us through how New America’s Future of Work and Innovation Economy initiative is working to ensure that technological advancement strengthens—not sidelines—the American middle class. He discusses the launch of a new national Accelerator for Community Colleges, designed to build capacity across institutions and regions engaged in tech-based economic development.

Deb, meanwhile, shares how SME’s 90-year legacy is evolving with their new Manufacturing Imperative Workforce Pipeline Challenge; a bold initiative engaging 25 community colleges across 17 states. Her team is addressing workforce gaps through scalable, employer-driven models that align local needs with national priorities in manufacturing and advanced technologies.

Their work offers a roadmap for how public, private, and educational sectors can come together to meet the moment.If you care about making workforce development more effective—or just want to hear from people who are rolling up their sleeves and doing the work—this is a conversation you won’t want to miss.

AMCC’s podcast is made possible in part by the expertise of Mike McAllen, founder of Podcasting4Associations. Are you part of an association also looking to produce a podcast? Let us get you in touch with Mike.

Thank you to the Economic Development Administration for their partnership in producing this podcast. This podcast was prepared in part using Federal funds under award 3070145 from the Economic Development Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce. The statements, findings, conclusions, and recommendations are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Economic Development Administration or the U.S. Department of Commerce.

🔗Links to Learn More:

• Find Shalin on Linkedin.
• Find Deb on Linkedin.
• Learn more about New America’s Future of Work and Innovation Economy
• Learn more about SME’s Manufacturing Imperative Workforce Pipeline Challenge
• Follow AMCC on Linkedin.
• Find Matt on Linkedin.

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