August 05, 2025 by Jeannine Kunz, Chief Executive Officer, SME SME Mission Critical: Workforce 2030 Tackling Manufacturing's Skills Gap The manufacturing industry is at an inflection point. While the pace of innovation is accelerating, our ability to develop and deploy the skilled workforce necessary to support that innovation is falling behind. And that’s not just a workforce challenge, it’s a competitiveness challenge, an economic resiliency issue, and even a matter of national security. At SME, we’ve been focused on solutions to meet this challenge for years. In early 2025 we officially launched an experience that engages stakeholders across the manufacturing ecosystem and calls attention to both the urgency and the opportunity: SME Mission Critical: Workforce 2030. SME's director of Strategic Programs and Partnerships, Greg Jones, sat down at RAPID + TCT with the organization's new executive director and CEO, Jeannine Kunz, for a "SME Insights" discussion. Their conversation illuminated the strategic vision behind Mission Critical: Workforce 2030, a bold undertaking designed to galvanize the industry and bridge the critical talent divide. SME’s Strategic Vision: Why Mission Critical Matters "Our mission, our purpose to exist," Kunz said, "is to advance manufacturing." She explained that while this mission might sound simple, it's inherently complex, especially given the rapid evolution of the industry over nearly a century. "We at SME also have to constantly be looking at how we best address that question of advancing manufacturing. What are the inhibitors to moving forward?" Kunz stressed that while all manufacturing sectors face talent issues, the defense sector presents a unique and particularly urgent challenge. The struggle to produce essential assets like the Columbia and Virginia class submarines at the necessary rate directly ties back to workforce shortages. Kunz asked, "How can SME step up and step out in a way that's impactful and aligned to those needs of the defense industry?” This sense of urgency forms the basis of Mission Critical: Workforce 2030. It’s a vital call to action, designed to be a rallying point for manufacturers, educators, and government agencies to collaborate and find solutions. Taking Stock: The Workforce Readiness Assessment Central to the Mission Critical: Workforce 2030 experience is a comprehensive workforce readiness assessment, available to take in person at all of SME’s 2025 U.S.-based events and online at toolingu.com/readiness. Kunz likened this assessment to a doctor's visit—a crucial check-up many people tend to put off. "Most of us know we should be doing the right things for our mental and physical health, but more often than not, we don’t always follow through the way we should," Kunz said, which of course leads to challenges. Just as a doctor asks fundamental questions about habits and activities, the readiness assessment is a diagnostic tool that probes manufacturers about their talent development, recruitment, training, and retention strategies. The assessment allows manufacturers to pause, evaluate their current state, and identify areas of weakness. In that same vein, just as a doctor prescribes medicine, therapy, and lifestyle adjustments, SME aims to provide manufacturers with targeted solutions. “If they don't have the right tools for training or they don't know a good strategy around attraction of new people," Kunz said, “we wanted to point them to remediation strategies or resources of either something that SME does or the great partners we have that could help that manufacturer move the needle forward." The assessment is a vital first step in addressing the skills gap, providing a clear diagnosis before prescribing a course of action. Building the Pipeline: The Manufacturing Imperative - Workforce Pipeline Challenge SME's commitment to building a robust talent pipeline extends beyond individual company assessments. The organization spearheads the Manufacturing Imperative - Workforce Pipeline Challenge (MI-WPC), a collaborative effort with 27 community colleges across 17 states. "It's interesting. SME itself feels like a call to action. We're not just talking about a mission; we are actively working every day to deliver on it," Kunz said, emphasizing the shared urgency behind both "Mission Critical" and "Manufacturing Imperative." The MI-WPC encourages community colleges to innovate and develop new ways to attract individuals into critical manufacturing pathways, including machining, welding, metrology, smart manufacturing, additive manufacturing, automation, and nondestructive testing—the latter being particularly vital for the defense industrial base and submarine production. Kunz highlighted the crucial role of community colleges, calling them "the fabric of what our nation relies on, especially around a lot of our skilled trades." These participating colleges, many already at the forefront of technical education, are implementing new programs and sharing their best practices with one another, fostering a collaborative ecosystem where "all boats rise together," as Kunz put it. The audacious goal of the initiative is to achieve 1,000 new enrollments per year for three years at each participating college, totaling 75,000 new individuals entering manufacturing programs across the U.S. Jones underscored the importance of changing perceptions about manufacturing careers. "In many cases, people simply don't know what a mechatronics technician, or even a CNC machinist actually does," he said. Kunz added that manufacturing is often a "hidden industry," one that many outside the field don’t see or understand. The MI-WPC aims to bring visibility to the career paths, not just reshaping existing perceptions but in some cases creating awareness where none existed before. This collective effort is crucial for raising awareness and attracting the talent needed to fuel the industry's growth. Investing in the Future: The SME Education Foundation and SME PRIME The spirit of collaboration extends to SME's manufacturing and technology partners, many of whom have deep ties to the SME Education Foundation and its SME PRIME (Partnership Response In Manufacturing Education) initiative. SME PRIME partners private industry with academia to build custom manufacturing and engineering programs in high schools across the country—providing equipment, curriculum, teacher training, and student scholarships, along with funding for manufacturing-related extracurricular activities and program sustainability. One notable example is SME PRIME’s partnership with FANUC, a leading robot manufacturer. FANUC, in collaboration with its integrators, established a scholarship program with a goal of $1M, aiming to award at least 50 scholarships per year. "People in manufacturing come together in remarkable ways, joining forces to do something bigger than themselves," Kunz said, referring to the generosity and collaborative spirits of partners like FANUC. "That spirit of unity and purpose, that’s truly at the heart of what SME is all about,” she said. Jones emphasized the intentionality of equipping SME PRIME schools with the same industrial equipment students will encounter in the workforce. That strategy gives students a more streamlined, accelerated pathway when they enter the job market. The Urgency of Now: Skating to Where the Puck Is Going Mission Critical: Workforce 2030 reflects the urgency of the moment. A standout feature of the experience is a timeline graphic tracing technological and educational developments in manufacturing from the 1950s to the present. Kunz echoed this sentiment. "Technology has officially outpaced our people and our capabilities. As individuals, we're struggling to keep up with the pace of change, and that puts us at a competitive disadvantage," Kunz said. She posed a compelling analogy, asking, "Do you want to be the next Blockbuster, or do you want to be the Netflix?" This alludes to the critical choice facing the industry: embrace technological advancement and proactively address the workforce challenges, or risk becoming obsolete. "Do you want to kind of get in front of it and really start to skate to where the puck is going versus planning just where you're at?" Kunz urged. Mission Critical: Workforce 2030 is designed to make manufacturers stop and think about the future state. Just as preventative healthcare is crucial to avoiding serious medical issues, proactive workforce development is essential to prevent a manufacturing crisis. "At SME, we’re committed to leaning in and stepping up and put ourselves out there and truly listening. We want to understand the pain points schools are experiencing, what communities are facing, what our federal agencies are seeing—and certainly, what our manufacturers need. Because at the end of the day, it all comes down to them," said Kunz. SME's purpose—to advance manufacturing to drive competitiveness, resiliency, and national security—is inextricably linked to its mission to accelerate the widespread adoption of manufacturing technologies and build North America’s talent and capabilities. Mission Critical: Workforce 2030 is a movement and a vital step towards ensuring that the manufacturing industry has the skilled workforce it needs to thrive in the decades to come. The time to act is now. Watch the full interview for more insights into SME Mission Critical: Workforce 2030.
