The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way manufacturers recruit, train and develop their workforce. Long term, this shift will work in manufacturers' favor as online learning is also key to developing the skills necessary to leverage the emerging technologies that will give rise to the advanced manufacturing economy of the future.

The COVID-19 pandemic created a ripple effect for U.S. manufacturers that revealed not only a lack of redundancy in the supply chain but also a lack of transparency. As the pandemic took hold, worldwide demand for personal protective equipment (PPE) dramatically increased and many material and product costs skyrocketed. It quickly became apparent...

In 2012, Pioneer Service CEO Aneesa Muthana lost 90% of her revenue.

One of her biggest customers bought four of her other customers. And they took all the business to China and Mexico.

“I made a decision then and there that I have to begin getting out of my comfort zone,” Muthana said. “I needed to figure what everyone else was doing, how...