Stop Complaining About the Skills Gap and Do This Instead, Ep #527
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Why does the episode focus on workforce development and the skills gap in manufacturing?
Gentlemen. I get to be a part of a consortium today.
It's not even how you say it, dude.
It's important though, and I'm honored.
That's probably why you're not part of one. Can't say it.
I am now. But you're right.
It is uh it is this particular one is super important. And uh it is part of our workforce development series and we get to talk with our friend Kyra Tillman again, who's been on the show before. feature the amazing work they're doing at the math manuf I now I can't even say it the manufacturing karma and yeah and and I messed up the word manufacturing, which is one you think I would get. Yes, the manufacturing pathways consor consortium.
There we go.
It wasn't meant to be a tongue twister, but I guess it is.
Oh. Hey Kara, good to be here with you.
Should we just call it MPC from now on?
Yes. We we do refer to it as MPC and that is absolutely fine.
Or just pathways. How about that? Whatever that's the the one word you don't want to be struggled with.
As long as you know what we're doing, we don't care what you call us. Thank you guys for having me.
Oh absolutely.
Hey, you also get to be part of the blooper reel forever.
If the sound of a machine tool removing metal gets your blood pumping, then you are Metalworking Nation. This is Making Chips, where we talk all things metalworking, engineering and design, production and tooling combined with business best practices, technology, marketing, news, and new media for manufacturing professionals. Here are your hosts. Let's make some chips.
How did Kyra Tillman become the third‑generation owner of BTM Industries?
So tell us a a a bit about yourself, Kyra, like give us kinda your origin story and then we'll move into what the MPC is and and the mission it holds.
Sure. So uh my name is Kyra Tillman. I am the third generation owner of BTM Industries. We're a small job shop in Woodstock, Illinois. My grandfather started the company in nineteen sixty three. I took it over from my dad in twenty seventeen. Worked here as a kid. I grew up one block away from the shop. So I was slave labor my entire life. Went to college, swore I would never come back here, and here I am. I own the place. I spent uh fourteen years in construction management. I have a degree in industrial technology, was looking for another avenue for life. I had small kids at home and a stressful job. wanted to be able to be there for them, be more be closer to home during the day. So my dad was here running the company at h on his own at that point.
His brother had to retire for health reasons and he was looking around saying, I had no plan for retirement. What am I gonna do now? So the two of us got together and I s decided to come back and see if there was a way I could help. That was in twenty thirteen and then yeah, twenty seventeen he retired. I bought the business and away I went.
So you told your dad, like, I got young kids at home and I have a stressful job and he's like, Well, hey, come run a machine shop It's so much better.
There's a lot of times I was like, What was I thinking? This is
I was having the same thought, Nick. That is actually quite funny.
I need to hire that guy on my sales team. Well, I Yeah.
I was thinking when she said that too, 'cause I I know we've talked about this before, but I mean, obviously we always talk about how running machine shops like the most difficult thing in the world. But like with with all the different businesses I've been involved with throughout my career, like I would say construction's a close second. So so yeah, you just went from Hard to harder.
At least it at least the variables are more controlled here, right? I'm not I I didn't have to wake up all the uh worrying about the rain and if I could get my parking lots in.
Yeah, sure.
That took a while to wear off, but So at least it's not weather constrained, but it is still stressful. It's a different kind of stress.
So Kyra, for the last nine years now that you've been in charge, you obviously need to hire people and bring new talent into the business. And maybe that's how you got uh involved with MPC. Can you tell us about yeah, how that how that evolved?
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Chapters
6 chapters
1
Why does the episode focus on workforce development and the skills gap in manufacturing?
0:00–1:56
2
How did Kyra Tillman become the third‑generation owner of BTM Industries?
1:56–7:31
3
What is the Manufacturing Pathways Consortium and how does it unite manufacturers, schools, and community partners?
7:31–14:56
4
Why does the summer internship program receive 186 applications but only 85 placements?
14:56–20:15
5
How can a shop build a structured internship plan instead of winging it?
20:15–31:19
6
What are the biggest challenges manufacturers face when hosting interns and how can they be overcome?
31:19–54:55
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