Automotive technology students in Lexington, Mass., helped repair a car destined for Aris Lopez, a veteran of the Coast Guard. The car was donated to the nonprofit Second Chance Cars, and students worked to make sure the vehicle's tires, brakes and electrical system were ready for the road.

FedEx Logistics Academy offers business skills workshops and mentoring to 11th and 12th grade students in Shelby County schools in a partnership that can lead to employment opportunities. "There's a lot of soft skills that are needed for these students to be able to really best position themselves for success," FedEx Logistics' Thanh Anderson said.

Manufacturing-specific certifications should be included in four-year college degree programs because more people will have the skills required for advanced manufacturing, write Shalin Jyotishi and Isabel Cardenas-Navia. "By coupling a manufacturing-specific certification with a college engineering degree, students are exposed to career paths in manufacturing much earlier in their education," they write.

Research shows students who have children are 10 times less likely to obtain a bachelor's degree within five years than students who aren't parents, and dwindling enrollment means colleges need to attract nontraditional students such as parents, writes Liz Millen. More colleges are responding to the issue by offering low-cost, on-site child care during days, evenings and even weekends.

Factory activity in the mid-Atlantic region of the US has reached a three-year high, while the four-week rolling average of initial jobless claims has declined this month, suggesting the labor market remains in good health. Economists and Federal Reserve policymakers expect modest economic growth but see potential headwinds from the coronavirus outbreak.

Demand for home-care professionals is growing as baby boomers age. "More and more people are finding that they want to stay home" as they age, says Beth Trivett, a caregiver with ComForCare in Tennessee, where direct-care jobs are expected to number almost 100,000 by 2026.

Experienced metal fabricators can easily change their operations to focus on particular customers and sectors, writes Dan Davis. Such companies "still bend, cut, form, and weld metal; they just happen to be doing it for different customers," he writes.

The need for human intuition on build-outs and redevelopment projects should assuage fears of technology supplanting construction workers, says Julian Anderson, president of Rider Levett Bucknall. Artificial intelligence can contribute to visuals that inform construction decisions, but humans ultimately are the ones making decisions, Anderson says.

ACTE is proud to announce its second class of 20 fellows for its 2020 Postsecondary Leadership Success Program at ACTE - sponsored by ECMC Foundation (PLSP-ECMCF). The goal of the program is to help aspiring leaders in career and technical education (CTE) develop and refine their skills in CTE organizational leadership and management; build critical skills in communication, collaboration, networking, problem solving and use of time/resources; and hone their ability to facilitate institutional change. Learn more.

Taking place Oct. 7 to 9 in Cape Cod, Falmouth, Mass., Best Practices is seeking content that advances the field for CTE administrators of both secondary and postsecondary CTE programs and institutions. Submit your proposals by March 2.

You might have noticed we have updated our newsletter template. Please let us know what you think by taking this two-minute survey.