{"id":263,"date":"2026-04-16T20:29:01","date_gmt":"2026-04-16T20:29:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.missouriwestern.edu\/hcct\/?page_id=263"},"modified":"2026-04-16T20:29:01","modified_gmt":"2026-04-16T20:29:01","slug":"workforce-development-director-speaking-on-the-houlne-center-transcript","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.missouriwestern.edu\/hcct\/workforce-development-director-speaking-on-the-houlne-center-transcript\/","title":{"rendered":"Workforce Development Director Speaking on the Houlne Center Transcript"},"content":{"rendered":"

[laugher]<\/span><\/p>\n

Speaker 1 [00:00]:<\/b> Thank you.<\/span><\/p>\n

Speaker 2 [00:01]:<\/b>\u00a0 Let\u2019s talk about \u201cconvergent technology.\u201d You mentioned that, again, for\u2013again\u2013for people when they think when\u2013what do you mean when you say \u201cconvergent technology?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Speaker 1 [00:11]: <\/b>\u00a0Right. So, think of converging as like \u201cintegration.\u201d So, \u201ccoming together.\u201d So when you have automation mixed with electrical stuff mixed with, you know, raw materials, mixed with quality, mixed with pneumatics and all kinds of other stuff; that is <\/span>convergent technology<\/span><\/i>. And all of that comes together, um, in manufacturing, and construction, and in design, and engineering\u2026to create a product or what-have-you in today\u2019s world.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Speaker 2 [00:48]:<\/b> I don\u2019t\u2013I don\u2019t want to let things get away with me, you know, chasing different things, [laughs] but what are some of the degrees that kids can get when they go to Missouri Western and they get involved with the Houlne Center for Convergent Technology?<\/span><\/p>\n

Speaker 1 [01:03]:<\/b> Yeah, absolutely. So, we currently have degrees at\u2013bachelor\u2019s degrees\u2013that are in Mechanical Engineering Technology, Construction Engineering Technology, as well as bachelor in Cybersecurity. So there are students this Spring who are already out in the Houlne Center doing hands-on Applied Learning, utilizing the machines out there. And those machines are called \u201ctrainers\u201d, um, which I find\u2026interesting because you think of a trainer as a person usually, not a piece of equipment. But, this is equipment that they can actually put their hands on and <\/span>do<\/span><\/i> things, and troubleshoot, and learn how to utilize actual – the same types of machines that they\u2019re going to encounter at their real world job if you will when they leave the university.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Speaker 2 [01:46]:<\/b> And when they get these degrees they\u2019re ready.<\/span><\/p>\n

Speaker 1 [01:48]:<\/b> They are.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Speaker 2 [01:49]:<\/b> They\u2019re gonna be ready to step in and go to the Gray Manufacturing Center sort of thing.<\/span><\/p>\n

Speaker 1 [01:53]:<\/b> That\u2019s exactly right. And so, not only will they have the knowledge, but they will also have incorporated the actual experience. Which, is <\/span>really<\/span><\/i> what manufacturers want, is people to be skilled-up and ready to go day one.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Speaker 2 [02:04]:<\/b> I think that\u2019s what every employer wants\u2013<\/span>
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

Speaker 1 [02:06]:<\/b> Oh yes.<\/span><\/p>\n

Speaker 2 [02:07]:<\/b> \u2013somebody that\u2019s ready to go, has had some kind of hands-experience. This is incredible that it\u2019ll give it to them. One of the things I thought about, and it always comes to me, Cybersecurity. That\u2019s just growing and growing cause I don\u2019t know how many times on this program we talk about frauds and scams and that sort of thing and\u2013and then people trying to do things get a link and into your computer system. Cybersecurity is just an incredibly growing field isn\u2019t it?<\/span><\/p>\n

Speaker 1 [02:33]: <\/b>It is, and it\u2019s one of those that\u2019s ever-changing. And inside of the Houlne Center, we actually have, um, they call it the \u201cwar room.\u201d [laughs] Where students actually get together and they problem solve on how they fix something that is going wrong. And so it could be, you know, they have to be able to identify how someone is getting in through a computer system, right, in order to block them from coming in that direction. And so, in order to do that, um, like one of the classes is \u201cEthical Hacking.\u201d And so, \u201cethical\u201d being the key term there. [laughs] Um, but you know they have\u2013they have to understand how to like, um, how like a lock works and so that\u2019s one of the things the instructor uses is they actually show them how to pick a lock. Like a, I forget what it\u2019s called, but like a one channel locked, two and three\u2026and then that helps them to visualize, like there are all these different, you know, components like a firewall, and then a, you know, and then there\u2019s a password\u2026and then there\u2019s this and there\u2019s that. You have to get through all of those in order to, um, make it into someone\u2019s system. And so the more of those locks you have in place, the harder it is for people to penetrate your system.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Speaker 2 [03:47]:<\/b> I think, you know, I bring that up\u2013my son-in-law is in computers, and has been for a long time\u2026and he sat down with the president of an unnamed university, wasn\u2019t Missouri Western, but he said, \u201cYour system is too easy to get into.\u201d With his laptop, he sat him down, and he showed him how he could get into the system.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Speaker 2 [04:05]:<\/b> Exactly. And\u2013and they need to know that.<\/span><\/p>\n

Speaker 1 [04:08]:<\/b> This is a kid in his twenties showing him, \u201cListen, you can do this. You gotta get this up.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Speaker 2 [04:13]:<\/b> That\u2019s right. You need to protect your systems, and so more and more we <\/span>need<\/span><\/i> Cybersecurity professionals who are able to do exactly what your son did. Like figure out how to get in so that they can tell them, \u201cHey, your system is <\/span>not<\/span><\/i> secure. Here\u2019s what you can do to fix that.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Speaker 1 [04:30]:<\/b> Tell me\u2013let\u2019s talk about some of the capabilities that you have at the Convergent Technology center.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Speaker 2 [04:35]:<\/b> Okay! Yes, definitely. So, one of the things I wanted to mention is that the trainers that I mentioned earlier, which is the actual equipment that you get your hands on and train, um, they\u2013we have several of those that are what we call them: \u201ctabletop trainers\u201d. And so all that means is that we can bring them to you. So whatever field you\u2019re in, we can bring you the tabletop trainers, so we can do on-site instruction, or we can leave them there and you can hook a laptop to them and do virtual stuff, but you\u2019re still getting the hands-on component of it. So, it\u2019ll tell you like, \u201cHey, you need to do this, this and this.\u201d And then you actually do it on the real trainer and not just in the virtual world on the computer.<\/span><\/p>\n

Speaker 1 [05:15]:<\/b> So, when businesses are thinking about this, can we reach out to you?<\/span><\/p>\n

Speaker 2 [05:19]:<\/b> Absolutely.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Speaker 1 [05:20]:<\/b> And say, \u201cCome <\/span>[Speaker 2: yes!] <\/span>come to our\u2013wow!<\/span><\/p>\n

Speaker 2 [05:23]:<\/b> \u201cCome here and train two people.\u201d Or, um, \u201cCome out here and just\u2026we need this one machine to-to help them, you know, upskill on it.\u201d Or, if they would prefer, they can always come out to the Houlne Center, and we can do it there. Um, but it\u2013it can be either way, so it\u2019s very, very flexible, and it\u2019s also important for everyone to note that we are able to do things evenings, weekends, and of course, days. Um, but it\u2019s not just your typical 8-5, because we understand that that don\u2019t always work for some of the companies in town.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>