Easton, MA — May 27, 2026
The Old Colony Planning Council (OCPC) launched its Route 24 Tech Hub roundtable series with a discussion at the Easton Community Access Television Studios, bringing together North Easton Machine, Evans Machine Company, AccuRounds, the Southeastern Regional School District, Easton Public Schools, Easton’s Planning Director, MassHire Greater Brockton, and a Brockton High School student who offered a firsthand perspective.
One message came through clearly: exposure has to start early. Panelists pointed to pilot programs and robotics clubs as early as eighth grade as a way to spark interest before students count themselves out. Without that early exposure, the discussion suggested some students quietly conclude they simply aren’t “bright” enough for technical or manufacturing careers — a belief that can follow them into adulthood.
On the hiring side, employers described a clear order of priorities. Fitting in with the team and adaptability now make up a real share of what companies look for — by one estimate, about a quarter of the hiring decision — with technical training built on top of a foundation of soft skills and math and analytical ability, in that order. Panelists returned again and again to problem-solving as the essential trait, alongside gratitude, trust, communication, dependability, and a workplace culture that gives people room to fail safely and learn from it.
The group also pushed back on outdated images of the shop floor. Today’s manufacturing runs on technology that rewards creative problem-solving and strong analytical fundamentals, panelists said — a far cry from the picture many students and parents still carry. Closing that gap, participants noted, will take more than better messaging: it also means giving teachers real hands-on industry experience, since many educators haven’t spent time on a modern shop floor themselves, and it means addressing practical barriers like local zoning, which in many communities still limits the kinds of manufacturing spaces that could be built.
The Easton roundtable is the first in a series of sessions across the Route 24 corridor feeding into the development of the Tech Hub Strategic Plan, funded through the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative. OCPC will carry these findings forward as it works with towns, schools, and employers along the corridor to strengthen the region’s manufacturing talent pipeline.
