Great Question Podcast: Forming Metal Heads: How To Address the Metals Casting and Forging Skills Gap

Check out this episode of Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast featuring METAL Program Manager Mike Kubacki.

Manufacturers understand the skills gap: every day they recognize that do not have enough people or enough of the right people to execute the difficult and sometimes dirty, often dangerous tasks like pouring and forming molten materials, grinding or machining parts, treating and handling those parts, welding and finishing components and systems, etc. It’s more than a practical problem. It’s an economic and institutional crisis.

The Metallurgical Engineering Trades Apprenticeship and Learning program (METAL) established by the Dept. of Defense in 2024 is moving fast to resolve it, setting up and coordinating practical training in critical disciplines for metal casting and metal forging processes at seven universities, and drawing in fresh minds who ensure that knowledge and practical understanding continue to be available to engineers and investors in the decades ahead of us.

Mike Kubacki, program manager for METAL describes the program and its progress.

 

 

The Manufacturing Executive Podcast: Chocolate Castings, Apprenticeships and the Future of Manufacturing Careers w/ Mike Kubacki

Don’t miss this episode of The Manufacturing Executive where host Joe Sullivan sits down with METAL Program Manager Mike Kubacki to discuss the METAL initiative.

The workforce crisis in US manufacturing isn’t just a challenge – it’s a national security risk. This is particularly true in casting and forging, where today’s guest Mike Kubacki has spent two decades. In our conversation, he explores the urgent need to rebuild America’s industrial base, the reality behind modern manufacturing environments and how innovative programs are connecting hands-on learning with next-generation careers. We’ll learn why engaging students early, supporting employee growth and linking frontline work to real-world impact are key to the future of US manufacturing.

Anderson County Students Experience Forging Firsthand at UT Knoxville

Original source: WBIR

Students from Anderson County, Tennessee, recently visited our partners at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK) for an immersive, hands-on forging workshop. During the session, students explored the properties of metal through a series of interactive activities that connected classroom concepts with real-world applications in metallurgy and materials science.

Their first activity was clay forging, which introduced them to the behavior of metal under heat by using modeling clay to simulate how metal behaves during the forging process. Students practiced drawing out and upsetting the clay, then pressed images into their finished pieces before setting them to cure.

Next came sand casting, where students used their 3D-printed designs from school to create molds and pour molten tin, transforming their digital models into tangible cast shapes. Meanwhile, small groups took turns participating in induction forging, heating metal “lollipops” until they were red hot, then hammering their initials into them. 

Watch the full coverage here