This summer, teens from the Fond du Lac, Tri-County, and Jackson Boys and Girls Clubs will be learning about various careers through the MPTC Dream Big community service project.

The Dream Big project started in 2017 with  area BGC teens visiting MPTC or MPTC students visiting the Clubs each semester to help teens learn more about the over 100 careers available through MPTC. This past year, due to COVID, no visiting was possible. The MPTC Student Community Impact Team, in partnership with faculty leaders, came up with a plan to offer summer career exploration of welding, blueprint reading, cosmetology, and culinary through interactive videos with fun hands on activities.

Dream Big is a great community partnership opportunity to showcase MPTC careers and for area teens to get excited about career choices! Tri-County Boys and Girls Club Director of Operations Mindy Collado said, “We are so excited for these Dream Big opportunities! Thanks for stopping in today and delivering all the goodies. The teens already had a lot of fun and I am sure we will get good use out of the careers materials all throughout this summer! Thank you MPTC!”

Moraine Park Technical College has selected Nathan Glander of Wabash National, as the recipient of the 2020 Workforce Development Champion award. The College’s Economic and Workforce Development (EWD) presents five Business and Industry partnership awards each fiscal year; Excellence in Partnership, Employer of the Year, Innovation, New Partner of the Year, and Workforce Development Champion. 

The Workforce Development Champion award is given to an individual focused on improving the skills and retention of personnel in the region and has positively influenced workforce issues around recruitment, training, and career development. Glander has been a consistent advocate for the College and the boot camp programs throughout the last year, even when that proved difficult with the pandemic. During the pandemic when others weren’t able to offer internships, he stepped forward to make sure there were internship spots available to provide the students with learning opportunities. In fall 2020, Glander demonstrated his commitment to the College and the program- and provided services as the sole business partnership for the boot camp welders. This semester, Glander has opened nine fulltime positions for the College’s boot camp completers. As a result of his support, students who complete the program have a greater opportunity to obtain fulltime positions in the welding field. Glander was recognized during a small ceremony in late May.  

For more information on Moraine Park, visit morainepark.edu.