🎙️ Tool or Die welcomes three fine gentlemen from IACMI – The Composites Institute, who are leading national efforts to rebuild America’s manufacturing workforce from the ground up. Justin Brooks oversees workforce development initiatives like America’s Cutting Edge (ACE) and METAL, programs designed to tackle the skilled labor shortage in machining, casting, and forging. David Roberson, a Marine Corps veteran and ACE’s lead instructor, shares his personal story of transition from the military to machining—and how he’s helping others do the same. And Greg Harrell, Workforce Coordinator for METAL, brings decades of experience in precision engineering and technical education to connect schools, veterans, and industry.
TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 Introduction to IACMI and the METAL program
06:00 From DOD bombs to boot camps—Justin’s story
11:00 David’s transition from the Marines to machining
18:00 How the ACE and METAL programs actually work
24:00 The hands-on appeal of pouring real molten metal
30:00 Changing perceptions about dirty jobs and skilled trades
36:00 How students and veterans are finding purpose in manufacturing
43:00 What’s next for IACMI and nationwide manufacturing training
Key Topics:
Why machining, casting, and forging are critical to defense reshoring
How short boot camps are giving veterans and students career-launching skills
The DOD’s role in scaling workforce training programs nationwide
Fixing the broken pipeline between education and skilled industrial jobs
Why “dirty” doesn’t mean dead-end—and why Gen Z is starting to get it
The unexpected power of making something real with your own hands
👉 Learn more: iacmi.org | americascuttingedge.org | MetalforAmerica.org
TOOL OR DIE is produced by Johnson & Roy (Johnson-Roy.com), a strategic advisory firm focused on technology, mobility, manufacturing, and robotics. Your hosts are Joel Johnson, tech media veteran behind Gizmodo, Jalopnik, and Wirecutter, and Alex Roy, General Partner at New Industry Venture Capital (NIVC.us) and a longtime voice in autonomy and transportation.
Follow them:
LinkedIn: alexroy | joeljohnson
X: @alexroy144 | @joeljohnson
Web: johnson-roy.com
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