A strong workforce doesn’t happen by chance. For Centro Inc., of Beaver Dam, growing internal talent is the key to their future success.

“It’s important that we develop talent from within,” Myron McMahon, operations manager at Centro, Inc. said. “We provide rotational molding technology, which is a specialized market. We can’t place an ad in the paper and expect to get many that are skilled leaders in the field. For this reason, we need to engage our newer frontline employees and provide them with professional development opportunities.”

Centro was founded in 1970 near Oxford, Iowa, and today they have eight locations across the Midwest and two international locations in Brazil and Ireland. They work to provide custom molding to industries such as agriculture, automotive, construction, medial and bio-medical, consumer goods, lawn and garden, and many more. Some of their customers include John Deere, Toro, Scag, and Metalcraft.

Their internal training began at the main headquarters in Iowa, with a request to mimic that training at their Wisconsin locations in Beaver Dam and Horicon. Their goal was to provide all employees with similar training opportunities despite the plant locations. Centro connected with Moraine Park’s Economic and Workforce Development (EWD) department to achieve this goal.

“We had the curriculum from our Iowa location,” McMahon said. “The EWD team was then able to take that curriculum, correlate it to Moraine Park’s training, and create a leadership program that fulfilled our needs.”

Their training, taught by Moraine Park instructors Roy Krueger and Tim Meyer, has been customized to fit the mission, values, and structure of Centro. The EWD team understands that not all companies are alike. For this reason, they offer flexibility in scheduling so that opportunities to grow don’t inhibit current company production.

“Developing leaders as our talent pipeline will serve well for our future,” McMahon said. “The Moraine Park instructors provide exceptional teaching and even work Centro’s mission and values into the lessons. I can’t say enough good things about our experience with Moraine Park’s EWD department.”

Centro’s first class of 10 is set to complete their Leadership Tier 1 training on June 11. There are plans for a second group this fall, and in total Centro is working to create three different internal professional development opportunities; Supervision 101, Leadership Tier 1, and Leadership Tier 2.

Learn more about partnering with Moraine Park for customized training. Contact training@morainepark.edu or call Angie at 920-924-3449.

In this economic climate, every competitive edge matters, leading business professionals to continually explore ways to eliminate waste thus improving overall production quality and efficiency which is the six sigma methodology that has proven results through the Moraine Park training program.

On Thursday, June 13, 2019 the Six Sigma Green Belt Spring 2019 class presented their final project results and received their certifications upon successfully completing the program. The program participants included Jeff Straup and Brent Del Ponte both Production Generalists from Grande Cheese Company and Clinton Gumieny a Quality Technician from Amerequip Corporation.  The graduation ceremony took place on the Moraine Park Technical College Fond du Lac Campus with business representatives, sponsors and project champions present.

The participants completed 88 hours of class time and additional time working on their independent projects which included developing a project team, collecting and analyzing data in an effort to reduce waste, eliminate re-work and improve customer satisfaction through product improvements. The return on the investment from these project resulted in approximately $26,000 in hard savings which averaged $8,684 per company with projected opportunity to continue the saving as the projects are fully implemented and scaled.

The Wisconsin Technical College System (WTCS) – Green Belt Certification takes employees to the next level of training in the Six Sigma philosophy. Six Sigma is a comprehensive and flexible system for achieving and sustaining bottom-line results in your organization. The fall course will begin on August 27^th with a deadline of August 2^nd to register by emailing training@morainepark.edu or calling 920-924-3449.

There will also be a complimentary Lean Enterprise/Six Sigma Executive Overview podcast available at https://www.morainepark.edu/business-and-industry/webinars/ in November 2019.

Nikki Dahlke is the new Recruitment and Advising Specialist for the boot camps in the Economic and Workforce Development Department. In her role, she will actively recruit students interested in participating in the short term manufacturing boot camps as well as support the current students attending them.

She comes to MPTC from a collaborative program between Goodwill Industries and Fox Valley Technical College where she was a Financial Coach for the Oshkosh FVTC students doing 1-1 financial counseling as well as classroom workshops to teach money management. Prior to that she worked at Fox Cities Habitat for Humanity for 4 years as the Family Services Coordinator and is still involved there as the Chair of their Family Selection Committee.

Nikki has spent her career working in non-profit case management and is looking forward to the opportunity to use those skills to help support students’ success at MPTC.

Nikki earned her Bachelors’ degrees from UW River Falls in Communicative Disorders and in Spanish. She is fully bilingual in Spanish and taught English in Mexico for a few years following college. She enjoys traveling to places off the beaten path and spending time with her husband and son.

“I am excited to continue to make a difference in the community by helping remove barriers to employment. These boot camps provide an incredible opportunity for students to gain skills, knowledge, and connections to a workplace through the internship. I look forward to working with the MPTC family in giving a hand up to people through these manufacturing boot camps.”

Interested in learning more about our boot camp opportunities, visit
https://www.morainepark.edu/services/business-and-industry/bootcamp/ .

On February 28, six students were recognized for their contribution of building a bench which was donated to Moraine Park Technical College (MPTC).  In fall 2018, the students took on a new project in their Learning for Independence (LFI) Home Repair class of building benches.  After creating four benches, the class decided to donate one to MPTC.  The bench is located at the entrance of the Integrated Manufacturing Center in the Moraine Park trades wing. 

The students attended the Home Repair class as part of the Learning for Independence program. The LFI program is a cooperative transition program offered in partnership by Fond du Lac Area High Schools and Moraine Park Technical College. The students range in age from 18- 21 years, participate in coursework in a college environment allowing them to improve social, communication and self-determination skills.  Throughout the 2 years of classes, students increase their workplace readiness skills through exposure to technology, finance, manufacturing, customer service, child care and many other areas.

On May 16, family, friends and instructors will gather as the six students are recognized during a completion ceremony held at the Moraine Park Fond du Lac campus. We wish the students well as they pursue their future endeavors. 

Classes will be starting again in fall 2019.  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.

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

Like to drive, want to see the country? Having a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) Learners Permit can help you gain a new career in the trucking industry.  

Be ready to go.

The demand for truck drivers is increasing. Driving a school bus, passenger vehicle, dump truck, freight carrying truck, or being licensed to tow a double or triple trailer could be yours, but you must first pass the Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) knowledge exam and obtain your CDL Commercial Learners Permit (CLP). Whether you want to drive statewide, regionally, across the country or stay close to home, passing the CDL knowledge exam is the first step to a new career.

Are you independent, hardworking, adventurous and love a challenge? Want to explore America? If you answered yes, then becoming a trucker may be right for you.

If you have a valid Wisconsin Driver’s License and an acceptable driving record, Moraine Park Technical College can help you take that first step towards a career driving. Our 15 hour classroom course, will introduce you to the trucking industry, familiarize you with the different written exams, background and medical information and prepare you to pass the CDL knowledge exam required whether you plan to apply for a CLASS A, B or C license.

Once you pass the CDL knowledge exam you will be issued a Commercial Learners Permit. You may operate a commercial motor vehicle as indicated on your permit with another person licensed to drive the same type of vehicle.

Make an investment in your future today. In as little as one week, we can prepare you to pass the knowledge exam.  Get started by enrolling in the March or April class.

March 11-14
5:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. (5:00-8:00 p.m. on Thursday, March 14 only)
Fond du Lac Campus, Room B-109
CRN 31155

or

April 8-11
5:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. (5:00-8:00 p.m. on Thursday, April 11 only)
West Bend Campus, Room L-159
CRN 31156

Disclaimer: Moraine Park does not provide vehicles to practice on.

To register, please call 1-800-472-4554. For questions, please contact Laurie at lbarz@morainepark.edu or visit https://www.morainepark.edu/programs-and-courses/certifications-and-licensure/.

Are you aware that over one-third of households in WI struggle to afford basic necessities?*

Moraine Park Technical College is excited to host national speakers, Terie Dreussi-Smith and Ruth Weirich, from aha! Process, Inc., to help bridge the gap and provide a better understanding of poverty in our communities and workplaces to assist with retention, productivity, and engagement in entry-level workers. This two-day summit will be held on March 12 and 13 from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The event will consist of a Bridges out of Poverty and Workplace Stability workshop to learn how to achieve workplace stability for entry-level employee retention and performance. These sessions will help us recognize the signs of poverty and the range of factors that create instability for our employees, and see how instability, employee performance, and profitability are related.

Employers have come to understand diversity in terms of age, race, and gender – now they need to understand it in terms of socioeconomic class. The income and resource gap is a growing divide in workplace culture, causing missed opportunities from miscommunications to separations, as well as lost productivity, promotion, and profit.
“Viewing a diverse workforce through the lens of economic class allows a company to create more stability for team members and for the business, which results in higher retention, higher productivity, more engagement, and increased profits.” – Ruth K. Weirich, Workplace Stability, p. 129

Did you also know that 27% of households in the MPTC district fall below the ALICE level? ALICE stands for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed; it’s a way for defining men and women who work hard, earn above the federal poverty level, but still not enough to afford a basic household budget.*

With that being said, are you aware of the hidden rules, culture, and range of factors that contribute to the instabilities in poverty? Workplace instability issues have an impact on employee retention and performance across all industries. We are hoping these sessions will raise awareness and give you the tools to provide open lines of communication with your employees, ultimately creating higher employee retention.

Bridges out of Poverty will use the lens of economic class to provide concrete tools and strategies for a community to alleviate poverty.  The Bridges out of Poverty and Workplace Stability sessions will provide tools and strategies for you to:

• Recognize the signs of poverty
• Understand the culture of poverty
• Recognize the range of factors that create instability for employees
• See how instability, employee performance and profitability are related

Event details:
March 12 & 13, 2019
8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Thelma Sadoff Center for the Arts
Fond du Lac, WI

For more information or to register for this event, visit http://bit.ly/bridgesmptc . 

*www.unitedforalice.org/wisconsin

Moraine Park Technical College held its seventh Strategy, Alignment, Talent
(STRAT) 2.0 program graduation ceremony on December 12, 2018, at the Fond du Lac campus.

The STRAT 2.0 program was developed by Moraine Park’s Economic and Workforce Development division and goes beyond the typical training –  integrating feedback, stretch assignments, experiential learning and one-on-one coaching to accelerate individual performance. Individuals are sponsored by their employers and organizations to participate in cross-functional development linking strategy and execution to achieve measureable results within their organizations.  Through the program, students participate in workshops, networking events, professional coaching and self-assessments to reinforce application of key concepts to enhance individual and organizational effectiveness.

STRAT teaches participants how to make big-picture management decisions and helps them develop self-awareness as a leader that improve their company’s performance. A local executive sponsor indicated, “STRAT teaches participants how to deal with today’s issues and prepare for tomorrow’s challenges. You need to look at how to put out today’s fires while preventing them in the future.” The program supports companies with their succession planning strategy and developing their talent pipeline for the next level of executives.

The STRAT 2018 participants included Kelly Weninger, Human Resources Manager at A&W Iron & Metal, Inc.; Shannon Neu, RN Manager at Beaver Dam Community Hospital; Briana Wagner, Strategic Projects Manager at Grande Cheese; Megan Pea, Deposit Operations Officer at Horicon Bank; Christopher Stath, Director of Purchasing and Sales at Sadoff Iron & Metal Company; and Oliver Vogel, IT Administrator at Spring Valley (not pictured).

Registration is currently in process for the 2019 STRAT session. To register, call 1-800-472-4554 ext. 3449. For more information on the STRAT program visit morainepark.edu/strat.

Talitha is the new WIOA Training Navigator for Moraine Park, stationed on the Beaver Dam campus and part of the Economic and Workforce Development department.  In case you are wondering what WIOA stands for, it means Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act and Talitha’s primary role is to provide various supports for adults with barriers who want to pursue MPTC training programs which help lead them to economic self-sufficiency. 

Talitha comes to Moraine Park having spent the last ten years teaching Language Arts at La Follette High School on Madison’s east side.  She has also taught AVID for five years, which is a program designed to support students with barriers succeed in high school and prepare for college. While she found profound meaning in her work as a teacher, she was also ready to make a career change and is excited to shift her career to providing individualized supports for motivated adults.

Talitha says she is passionate about the goals of WIOA which align with the amazing work that MPTC is already doing.  She believes that by eliminating some of the small financial barriers that prevent many individuals from pursuing education/training, we can help them forge paths out of poverty and dependence on government assistance.  Talitha is truly excited for the opportunity to support motivated individuals pursue more stable and meaningful lives, and feels honored to do this work as a member of the MPTC community.

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