Is the American Dream still Made in America?   A renewed surge of interest in U.S. manufacturing has revealed a huge challenge. There are hundreds of thousands of vacant positions and a labor force that lacks the necessary skills to fill them.

While many label it a crisis, Carolyn Lee, president of The Manufacturing Institute sees an opportunity.  In this episode Carolyn sits down with guest host David Etzwiler to share an upbeat, down‑to‑earth vision of a manufacturing sector that could fuel growth and generate huge new opportunities.

At the core of her mission is one thing: to remake the way talent is trained and primed for careers in industrial manufacturing. Carolyn shares some of the Manufacturing Institute’s groundbreaking initiatives built to upskill today’s employees while igniting the interest of the workers of tomorrow.

Through this conversation, you will discover a range of groundbreaking strategies that are reshaping the manufacturing workforce. Carolyn also examines how emerging technologies such as AI and automation, rather than posing threats, will actually create more jobs.

This episode is about the future of manufacturing, the future of work, and how the American Dream will be reshaped in the coming years.  Whether you’re a business leader, a policymaker, an educator or simply someone with a stake in our economy’s future, this an episode you won’t want to miss.

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More about the Siemens Foundation

More about The Manufacturing Institute

Sometimes the most impactful careers are the ones we never planned. In this episode, Sidra Maryam, from Siemens Smart Infrastructure Manufacturing Hub, shares how an unexpected career pivot led her to become a leader driving innovation, digital transformation, and team culture across a large-scale manufacturing operation.

Women make up less than one-third of America’s manufacturing workforce. It’s been this way for decades. Why is this? More importantly, what can we learn from women who are thriving in manufacturing careers?

In this episode you’ll meet two leaders who have built their careers on the factory floor and beyond: Cheryl Kiolbassa, Director, Digital Transformation Solutions, Siemens Smart Infrastructure and Anna Bumpious, Engineering Manager, Siemens Smart Infrastructure. They share the moments that tested them, the mentors who bet on them, and why they’re convinced manufacturing is ripe with opportunity—for people at every stage of their careers.

Barry Powell, Regional CEO and President of Siemens Electrical Products, North America hosts this conversation about resilience, optimism, and what it truly takes to build what’s next in American manufacturing.

Since launching Siemens USA’s Optimistic Outlook podcast five years ago at the height of the pandemic, Siemens USA CEO Barbara Humpton, who recently announced her retirement from Siemens USA, has brought listeners inspiring conversations about the people and ideas shaping a better future. In her final episode as host of the show, journalist and Widehall Founder & CEO Steve Clemons flips the script—interviewing Barbara about the podcasting journey, her tenure as CEO, and what gives her confidence in the future. True to form, Barbara closes this milestone moment by offering her own optimistic outlook.

Barbara explores how technology is reshaping industries and communities — starting with one of the world’s most pressing needs: housing. Mikael Hedberg, a shipbuilder’s son, is reimagining home construction as the founder and CEO of ADMARES with robotic precision and modular design, promising abundant, affordable homes built with dramatically less waste. Siemens’ Eryn Devola shows how digitalization and automation can turn factories into engines of sustainability, cutting emissions while boosting productivity and profitability. Together, they reveal how scaling today’s technologies faster can unlock a future where industry builds not just products, but resilience, opportunity, and a better quality of life.

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How do we prepare today’s workers for the jobs of the future and ensure no one is left behind? In this episode of Optimistic Outlook, Barbara Humpton sits down with Guild CEO Bijal Shah to explore how employers, educators, and governments can come together to unlock workforce potential. From frontline roles in healthcare and manufacturing to the emerging demands of AI and advanced technologies, they discuss what it takes to build resilient, future-ready talent pipelines.

Together, they dive into why reskilling and upskilling are now a business imperative, how employers can open doors through accessible, stackable learning pathways, the role of public–private partnerships in solving critical talent shortages and why continuous learning is the key to economic growth and opportunity.

This conversation is about more than education—it’s about creating inclusive pathways, breaking down barriers, and rethinking what it means to prepare workers for a rapidly changing world.

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[New Research] Build vs Buy: Manufacturing Talent Strategy in the Age of Automation, AI, and, Reshoring: The manufacturers best positioned for the next decade are building talent from within. The numbers speak for themselves: employers could collectively save $2.8B by developing the top five roles in manufacturing internally rather than hiring externally. New research from Lightcast and Guild reveals how leading manufacturers are solving skills gaps, reducing time-to-fill, and cutting labor costs by developing their existing workforce.

[Webinar] Build vs Buy: Manufacturing Talent Strategy in the Age of Automation, AI, and Reshoring: Join leaders from Guild, Lightcast, and Siemens on September 30 as they discuss new research. Explore how to shift from relying only on hiring talent to building talent from within; make smarter Total Rewards and L&D investments based on real-time labor market signals; and mobilize internal pipelines that support business priorities like smart manufacturing, new product cycles, and supply chain agility.

Guild resource hub

Barbara sits down with U.S. Congressman Jay Obernolte, who serves on the House Committee on Energy and Commerce and led the House Task Force on Artificial Intelligence, for an insightful discussion on how to balance risks with opportunity when it comes to AI. The Congressman outlines his vision for balanced, sector-specific regulation of AI that protects against malicious activities while fostering innovation. In this episode, Barbara and Congressman Obernolte explore the critical distinctions between consumer AI and industrial AI, which promises to enhance productivity, drive innovation, and create high-quality jobs in American manufacturing. Tune in to learn how AI is poised to reshape the future of American manufacturing and what steps policymakers, industry leaders, and the public can take to ensure its success. This episode promises to be a compelling conversation for anyone interested in the intersection of technology, industry, and policy.

Show notes:

Bipartisan AI report: https://www.speaker.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/AI-Task-Force-Report-FINAL.pdf

Barbara's Congressional Testimony: https://www.siemens.com/us/en/company/press/siemens-stories/usa/ceo-of-siemens-usa-addresses-members-of-congress.html

Optimistic Outlook Newsletter: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/optimistic-outlook-7171212265625374720/

A college degree and economic mobility often go hand in hand. A bachelor’s degree can lead to higher earnings over a lifetime. But as technologies like AI impact the job market, how do academic institutions best prepare students for roles that may not even be created yet? Not only that, how do we give more people the chance to achieve a degree and build the skills that industries need? In this episode, Barbara Humpton speaks with Scott Pulsipher, president of Western Governors University, about how academic institutions can think innovatively – even radically – about what it means to achieve a college degree in an era of rapid change. Listeners will learn how WGU has become a pioneer in this space, tackling challenges like affordability and accessibility while giving students more ownership over their education.

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Training a Skilled Workforce

Barbara Humpton on Training a Manufacturing Workforce

AI is reshaping how we live, learn, and work. But no matter how powerful the technology becomes, there’s one skill it will never replicate: being human.

In this special episode of The Optimistic Outlook, Siemens USA CEO Barbara Humpton shares her 2025 commencement address to graduates of Western Governors University. Her message is both simple and powerful: Empathy. Curiosity. Resilience. The joy you bring to your work. These aren’t soft skills — they’re human skills. And in a world increasingly driven by AI, they’re more essential than ever.

Tune in to hear Barbara’s reflections on the future of work, her personal journey in tech and leadership, and why the most optimistic outlook begins with embracing what makes us uniquely human.

Show notes:

What AI Can’t Replace: Siemens USA CEO’s Message to Graduates

Barbara's commencement reflection post on LinkedIn

We’re halfway through 2025—and what a year it’s been. In this special mid-year check-in, Barbara revisits the bold predictions she made back in January and asks: Are we delivering on the promise of Industrial AI, clean energy, and workforce transformation? From factories revitalized by digital twins to microgrids powering America’s fast-growing AI data centers, this episode highlights the real-world innovations reshaping our industrial landscape.

Drawing on insights from top guests—futurists, engineers, and workforce leaders—Barbara explores what’s working, where challenges remain, and how people are staying at the center of it all. If you’re curious about how data, AI, and human ingenuity are rewriting the rules of American industry, this episode is your front-row seat. Let’s take stock of how far we’ve come—and what it will take to finish the year strong.

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