Build it and they will come
Have you been to Moraine Park’s Jackson Regional Center? If you have, you will know that it’s the home of Moraine Park’s newest and largest welding lab and located in the Northwest Business Park about ½ mile from Hwy 60 and Hwy 45 interchange in Jackson, WI.
Did you also know that there is a high demand for welders in the manufacturing industry? This is due to the great importance of a welder in the manufacturing process and the number of baby boomers retiring.
In fact, the welding lab is the reason the Jackson Regional Centers exists. Representatives from business and industry identified a need in the Moraine Park district for more welders in Washington County. Welding is one of those in-demand skill sets essential to manufacturing. The welding lab meets the needs of student that want to advance in their manufacturing careers and it directly impacts employers looking for skilled workers. The 18 welding stations in the lab are used to teach the four welding processes required most in business and industry; shielded metal arc welding, gas metal arc welding, gas tungsten arc welding, and flux core arc welding. The welding lab also contains a Cincinnati press brake, shear, bank saw plate roll, iron worker, and plasma cutter.
A metrology lab is located in the center of the building; the metrology lab helps students learn metrology applications and theory and develop other skills such as blueprint reading, GD&T theory and applications as well as statistics. Courses taught in the metrology lab emphasis welding, metal forming, machining, measuring tools and part inspection techniques. Also located in the metrology lab are the virtual welders. We are the only Wisconsin Technical College to incorporate virtual welding into the curriculum. Virtual welding technology is increasingly popular as a training tool for manufacturers. At Moraine Park the virtual welders give students the ability to learn a new skill set before actually going on the actual welding equipment.
The Jackson Regional Center is more than just a welding lab. The Center contains staff offices and an Interactive Video Conferencing room. The IVC technology allows students and staff from other campuses to collaborate with each other face to face without having to drive to another campus. There is a lounge area complete with a microwave and refrigerator where students can take a break or grab a bite to eat. The Center also has a teaching classroom and computer lab with the world’s leading software for machining: Mastercam, ProForm AutoCAD and Solidworks installed.
Moraine Park strives to bring the community together by offering credit, personal enrichment and business an industry training in welding. For more information on the Welding program, contact Lisa at 262-306-5321.
For more information on business and industry training contact Angie at 920-924-3449. For more information on welding boot camps contact Abby at 920-924-3338. For more information on personal enrichment classes contact Laurie Barz community coordinator at 262-335-5825.
