Tech-Labs

We’re heading to FABTECH 2026! ⚙️

Tech-Labs will be joining APT Manufacturing Solutions Solutions in Booth S46000 at FABTECH in Las Vegas, October 21–23.

If you’re attending, stop by to meet the APT and Tech-Labs teams, talk manufacturing and workforce training, and explore hands-on solutions designed to build the skills industry demands today.

📍 Las Vegas, Nevada
📅 October 21–23, 2026
📌 APT Booth S46000

We look forward to seeing our manufacturing and education partners in Vegas!

What’s shaping the future of manufacturing in Texas—and what should industry and education be preparing for now?

Featured Presentation
Join us in Richardson on October 30 for a special presentation from Brittany Rosenberg, Texas Manufacturing Assistance Center at UT Arlington, exploring automation, AI, workforce shortages, changing supply chains, and the skills needed for what comes next.

🎤 Presentation: 10:00 AM CST
📍 Richardson, TX
🗓 Open House: 9:00 AM–2:00 PM CST

👉 Come explore. Ask questions. Try the technology. See what’s possible.

https://hubs.ly/Q04yBv2P0

Strong workforce partnerships are more than meetings and agreements—they align industry, education, and communities.

Our latest semiconductor workforce article looks at how those partnerships turn changing industry needs into real skills and career pathways.

https://hubs.ly/Q04yhC6y0

tech-labs.com

Join us for Texas Skills in Demand, a FREE Workforce Development Open House bringing together the technologies, trades, and technical skills behind some of Texas’ fastest-growing industries.

Come explore hands-on training solutions, see live demonstrations, meet industry experts, and discover ways to prepare students and workers for careers in:

⚡ Electrical & HVAC
🤖 Robotics & Automation
🔥 Welding & Manufacturing
🖥️ Data Centers
💻 Semiconductors
🏗️ Construction Trades
🚜 Heavy Equipment
🎓 Workforce Pathways

This is a come-and-go event—stop by when it works for you, explore the technologies most relevant to your program, and stay as long as you'd like. And yes, lunch and tacos are on us! 🌮

👉 Register free: https://hubs.ly/Q04yfdjp0

We hope to see you there!

Students recently explored immersive training technology during an XALTER demo. It’s one thing to talk about real-world environments in the classroom—another to let students step inside them.

Want to see what XALTER could look like in your program? Schedule a demo with Tech-Labs: https://hubs.ly/Q04ycNmw0

What happens when decades of manufacturing knowledge walk out the door at retirement?

FANUC America recently highlighted an issue manufacturers across the country are facing: critical technical knowledge is often held by experienced employees rather than captured in a repeatable process.

That makes knowledge transfer more than an HR challenge. It becomes an operational strategy.
Cross-training, apprenticeships, hands-on technical education, documentation, and automation can all help preserve institutional knowledge while preparing the next generation of technicians.

For schools, workforce programs, and manufacturers, the opportunity is clear: build the skills pipeline before the knowledge gap becomes a production problem.

Read more from FANUC:
https://hubs.ly/Q04y5BW10

Knowledge Transfer Must Become an Operational Strategy As workers retire, manufacturers must treat knowledge transfer as an operational strategy, not just an HR initiative.

What does it take to prepare students for today's manufacturing careers?

Advanced manufacturing education goes beyond teaching students how to operate a single machine. It brings together automation, robotics, mechatronics, CNC, additive manufacturing, industrial maintenance, smart manufacturing, quality, safety, and more — helping learners understand how modern production systems work together.

Just as important, students need opportunities to apply those skills hands-on: operating equipment, programming systems, making measurements, troubleshooting faults, and solving real problems.

Our latest guide explores what advanced manufacturing education looks like in 2026, the skills students need, the careers it can support, and what schools should consider when developing or expanding a program.

👉 Read the guide:
https://hubs.ly/Q04x8Q010

What Is Advanced Manufacturing Education? A 2026 Guide Learn what advanced manufacturing education includes, the skills students need in 2026, and how schools can build hands-on, industry-aligned programs.

The modern semiconductor technician needs more than expertise in a single technology.

Today’s fabs bring together electrical systems, electronics, automation, instrumentation, mechanical systems, vacuum technology, software, and data—all operating as part of one connected manufacturing environment.

In Article 5 of our Semiconductor Workforce Development Series, we explore the technical, digital, and professional skills that help technicians understand those connections and troubleshoot increasingly complex systems.

🔗 Read The Modern Semiconductor Technician: The Skills That Power Advanced Manufacturing:
https://hubs.ly/Q04x3C8W0

The Modern Semiconductor Technician Learn the technical, digital, and professional skills modern semiconductor technicians need to troubleshoot interconnected advanced manufacturing systems.

Texas’ semiconductor workforce continues to grow as the technology it supports advances.

TEL’s $30 million Technical Training and Research & Development Center in Austin is expected to train approximately 2,200 people each year. The center uses virtual and augmented reality to help prepare technicians to work with next-generation semiconductor equipment.

As manufacturing tools become more sophisticated, workforce preparation must evolve. Immersive, hands-on learning can help technicians build the practical skills and confidence needed to succeed in these highly technical environments.

Learn more: https://hubs.ly/Q04wx_2J0

Governor Abbott Leads Roundtable At TEL Texas Training And R&D Center Governor Greg Abbott today toured the TEL Texas Technical Training and Research & Development Center in Austin. He led a roundtable discussion with students and business leaders to highlight how industry-led training programs are preparing thousands of Texans for high-demand careers and strengthenin...

Oklahoma’s advanced-manufacturing economy is gaining a major new solar investment.

Nextnova plans to open a 2 GW solar-cell manufacturing facility in Yukon, with mass production expected to begin in 2027. The operation could initially employ approximately 300 people and eventually expand to 5 GW of annual production capacity.

Solar manufacturing is also an automation and workforce-development story. Modern production depends on technicians with skills in process control, instrumentation, electrical systems, quality assurance, material traceability, and advanced manufacturing.

Developing those skills through hands-on technical education will be essential as Oklahoma’s clean-energy manufacturing sector grows.

Read more: https://hubs.ly/Q04vGNpp0

Nextnova announces plans for 2 GW solar cell manufacturing in Oklahoma - pv magazine USA The company, a partner of Thornova Solar, says it expects to begin mass production by March 2027, employing as many as 300 people. Nextnova says the facility could expand to 5 GW in annual capacity as market demand grows.