Moraine Park Technical College held its fall 2020 Manufacturing Skills Academy completion ceremony on Wednesday, December 23. A total of nine students finished the program, four from Computer Numerical Control (CNC) and five from Welding.

This program was designed to combat the skilled worker shortage by offering a variety of boot camp sessions. The boot camp sessions are free to participants, teach skills that are unique to a particular pathway, and connect students with area employers. The program also combines a 144-hour paid internship with coursework, including Occupational Math, Print Reading, Team Building, Problem Solving, and program-specific courses. Participating internship sites for this session were FZE Manufacturing Solutions, LLC, Mid States Aluminum Corporation, Ultra Tool & Manufacturing, and Wabash National.

Moraine Park has had over 400 participants in the Welding and CNC boot camp programs since its induction in 2012.

The students who completed the CNC boot camp are Loni Gromacki of Germantown, April Novak of Fond du Lac, Ethan Strebe of Fond du Lac, and Brian Wilson of Fond du Lac.

The students who completed the Welding boot camp are Nathaniel Horner of Beaver Dam, Timothy Lowe of Fond du Lac, Robin Robertson of Colgate, Steven Stathas of Jackson, and Xavier Thomas of Fond du Lac.

This year’s graduation speakers were Timothy Lowe and Ethan Strebe. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the ceremony was open to boot camp students and Moraine Park staff only. The event was live-streamed to allow for family, friends, and employer partners to participate.

Moraine Park’s Skills Academy boot camps are free to participating students, thanks to financial support from community resource partners and the Workforce and Training (WAT) grants.

Registrations for the spring 2021 boot camp program are now being accepted. For more information, visit morainepark.edu/bootcamps.

The Learning for Independence (LFI) students, as part of the program at Moraine Park Technical College, like to plan a project that includes giving back to the community. This year 9 students and 3 instructors went to the Fond du Lac Fairgrounds Expo Center to help organize and set up for the Salvation Army Christmas distribution program on Thursday, December 10^th.

The Salvation Army doubled the distribution this year as close to 700 families were seeking assistance for almost 1,800 kids. They helped sort thousands of items, including toys, clothes, books, stuffed animals and more that have been donated to the Christmas distribution programs, like Toys for Tots, the Angel Tree, and Adopt-a-Family. Some students helped to unload big trucks with gifts from businesses in the community. 

The students enjoyed it, were overwhelmed by all of it and were exhausted at the end of the day.  They volunteered on their last day of class before semester break and ended with a positive and giving note.

Learning for Independence is a cooperative transition program offered in partnership by Fond du Lac Area High Schools and Moraine Park Technical College.  The students range from 18- 21 years in age, have a documented need for transition services in education, employment and/or independent living. The students have completed four years of high school and met desired level of academic proficiency for graduation at various Fond du Lac County High Schools.

For additional information on the LFI program or applications for enrollment, please contact Chris Schultz at cschultz@nfdlschools.org or call 920-929-3750, extension 6143.

The demand is growing rapidly for business analysis skills and related jobs not only nationally but also locally in Wisconsin.  The U.S. Department of Labor shows that jobs related to business analysis (management analysts) are projected to increase 14% nationally from 2018-2028 compared to the average growth rate of all occupations of 5%.[1]   The growth in Wisconsin is 13% for the same timeframe[2].

To enhance our Business Analyst Associate degree program and better meet the needs of this growing field, Moraine Park Technical College partnered with the International Institute of Business Analysis™ (IIBA^®) in summer 2020.   The IIBA academic affiliation allows Moraine Park to align all of our business analyst courses to globally recognized standards and seek endorsement for our curriculum. 

As the business analysis profession and practice continues to evolve, so do the needs of academic institutions around the globe to get their graduates job-ready and enter the workforce ready to meet tomorrow’s business challenges. IIBA is committed to the growth of the business analysis profession by supporting education providers. Through IIBA’s Academic Program, it endorses business analysis courses and programs for academic institutions of all sizes. An IIBA endorsed course:

1. Asserts alignment to A Guide to the Business Analysis Body of Knowledge^® (BABOK^® Guide), the internationally recognized body of knowledge for the practice of business analysis
2. Meets industry and internationally recognized standards and best practices in business analysis, ensuring learners develop the skills companies need most in 2021 and beyond
3. Allows students to apply the endorsed course hours towards the professional development requirements for the Entry Certificate in Business Analysis™ (ECBA™), designed specifically for students with no work experience

Moraine Park is pleased to announce that the following business analyst core courses were recently endorsed by IIBA:

• Business Analyst Essentials
• Business Analyst Planning and Monitoring
• Elicitation Techniques
• Requirements Life Cycle Management
• Requirements Analysis and Design
• Business Analyst Strategy Analysis
• Business Analyst Solution Evaluation

“I’m very excited to obtain IIBA endorsement for core courses within our BA program.  This endorsement sets us apart from other business analysis training or programs, ensuring that students are learning the essential knowledge, standards, and techniques in business analysis”, states Jo Ann Giese-Kent, Business Analyst Instructor.    

Bobbi Fields, Associate Dean of Business and IT, adds, “The IIBA is considered the premier professional organization committed to business analysis. Recognition by the IIBA acknowledges the quality of our academic program. Students are better positioned for professional certification, networking opportunities, and resources to grow their careers.”

The online Moraine Park business analyst program prepares students to decipher organization structure, policies, and operations. Graduates will be prepared to define problems, scope, and learn to gather business and stakeholder requirements or needs.  They will explore the use of a variety of best practice techniques, analytics, and relevant technologies to validate, analyze, and synthesize information to gain insights and connect the dots.  The Moraine Park Business Analyst training also includes strategy analysis and solution evaluation to assess performance and value.

If you’re ready to develop your business analysis skills and be part of a fast growing career, check out the following program overview video https://youtu.be/GALQJsV47Qg​ and connect with admissions today at https://www.morainepark.edu/admissions/new-student/how-to-apply-for-admissions/.

About IIBA

International Institute of Business Analysis™ (IIBA®) is the professional association dedicated to supporting business analysis professionals to deliver better business outcomes. IIBA connects almost 30,000 Members, over 100 Chapters, and more than 500 training, academic, and corporate partners around the world. As the global voice of the business analysis community, IIBA supports recognition of the profession, networking and community engagement, standards and resource development, and comprehensive certification programs. For more information visit iiba.org.

[1] https://www.bls.gov/ooh/business-and-financial/management-analysts.htm

[2] EMSI/QCEW & American Community Survey