A Free World Needs a Strong America

Funding will support two new AI training tracks for current and future workers, train 40,000 manufacturing workers and expand the best-in-class FAME USA Network.

For nearly 50 years, research has shown that having a bachelor’s degree or higher led to better employment prospects, from higher pay to greater job security. Now, with the stability of white-collar work in question as U.S. companies embrace artificial intelligence, federal data suggests that’s beginning to change.

A recent Middle Market Growth Conversations podcast features Bryan Wright, national manufacturing sector leader at Forvis Mazars, sharing insights from a new survey that shows strong optimism among manufacturing executives for growth in 2026 despite ongoing pressures like supplier cost increases and tariffs. Wright discusses how manufacturers are prioritizing strategies they can control, such as pricing, customer and product expansion, operational efficiency, and targeted technology investments like modern ERP systems. He also highlights the growing role of AI and automation, how talent challenges are being approached, and why resilient M&A activity, especially add-on deals, could strengthen in the year ahead.

U.S. Department of Labor announced the availability of nearly $81 million to assist people re-entering their communities after incarceration.