“Start now and be in a new career by Christmas.” That was a goal and a promise made by Moraine Park Technical College Boot Camp students in September.

On December 8 the Fall 2017 Manufacturing Skills Academies completers came together with friends, family and employers to celebrate their accomplishments. Through an acceptance process that began in the summer, classes that meet every day starting in September, and an internship that ran throughout the camp – culminating with 9 consecutive days on the job.

The College uses grant funds to provide specific training necessary for students to secure job opportunities at partnering businesses. The grants make the program free for students, as well as providing a cost-of-living stipend and a 144-hour internship making $12/hour.

For an up-close chance to learn more about boot camps, Moraine Park is hosting a CNC Machining and Welding Test Drive event Thursday, Jan. 18, 2018, including a resume review workshop, a free networking lunch with internship employers, and a hands-on opportunity to make something in the lab with our instructors and take it home with you!

Space is limited for the Test Drive workshops, and pre-registration is required. Deadline to register for the January workshops is January 17, 2018.

For more details on the Test Drive or boot camps, visit morainepark.edu/bootcamp, or call Todd Hayes at 920-924-3334.

So instead of struggling with unemployment, underemployment or temporary work, find out if attending a Welding or CNC Boot Camp is a good fit.

This could be YOU!

Each year during the month of November, the Economic and Workforce Development Department hosts a Saturday Sampler event on the Fond du Lac Campus. This free event is a fun way for our community members to get a sneak peek into the varied offerings and opportunities available at Moraine Park.

This year, the courses highlighted were Android Smart Phone and Tablets, Cake & Cupcakes Décor Galore!, Community Ed 101, and Wellness Way to Approach Inflammation.

Android Smart Phone and Tablets was taught by William Schroeder, MPTC Instructional Technology Clerk and Adjunct Faculty member.  William provided an excellent overview on Android features, the newest apps, and how to operate the device more effectively.

For those attending Cake & Cupcakes, Susan Horvath, MPTC Adjunct Faculty member, shared shopping tips and tricks of the trade for decorating with frosting.  They also got to leave with their cupcake creation!

Community 101 showcased a few of the opportunities available to community members inside the walls of our beautiful campus.  This included a glimpse of Park Terrace, where students serve meals they have created and cooked, and Techniques Salon and Spa, our student-run salon offering a variety of services at reasonable prices.  In addition, Greta Juknialis, MPTC Learning Resource Center Clerk, gave participants a glimpse into the wide variety of services, books, videos, and equipment available in the library.

Our newest MPTC Adjunct Faculty member, Dr. Jeremy Schingen, presented Wellness Way to Approach Inflammation.  Dr. Schingen provided a very informative presentation on how to reduce inflammation in the body and what should be done to become a healthier you.

Do you want to learn more about Moraine Park’s Continuing Education offerings?  Take a look at the numerous offering available, here and watch your mailbox for the Spring 2018 Continuing Education schedule coming after the holiday!  For more information on all that Moraine Park Technical College has to offer the community throughout the year, check out our website at: https://www.morainepark.edu/

Written by: Brenda Ten Haken

Here’s a look at some of the fun participants had!

Reading and hearing about new career opportunities is helpful. But what if you actually could try them out as well? Moraine Park Technical College is offering a unique opportunity to do just that with its “Test Drive” workshops for welding and computerized numerical control (CNC).
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Moraine Park Technical College learned recently that it received approval for approximately $550,000 in Workforce Advancement Training (WAT) grants from the Wisconsin Technical College System.  A total of six grant applications were submitted covering training in the following areas:

• Continuous Improvement
• Customer Relationships and Sales
• Organizational Leadership
• Industrial Maintenance
• Manufacturing Technical Skills
• Supervision and Team Building

All six grant applications were approved with a total of 31 companies being served in this consortium, representing the largest amount in WAT grant funding received by Moraine Park since the grants first became available several years ago. With an emphasis on training incumbent workers, WAT grants support area organizations’ investments in their workplace training programs.  Customized training developed under these grants are designed to help increase the skills of an organization’s existing employees, transform business processes, improve quality, boost productivity and improve overall competitiveness for participating businesses.  Typical grant coverage averages around 50% of the organization’s total training investment for eligible training conducted between July 1, 2017 and July 31, 2018.

Employers who are interested in obtaining more information about applying for next year’s Workforce Advancement Training grant funds should contact Moraine Park’s Economic and Workforce Development team for more information by calling (920)924-3449 or via e-mail at training@morainepark.edu.

Moraine Park Technical College would like to announce that QuickBooks instructor Corey Didier is now a Certified QuickBooks Pro-Advisor. Corey has really set himself apart by becoming a Quickbooks Pro-Advisor. Moraine Park takes pride in working with instructor like Corey who keep themselves up to date and then share that information with our students.

Enrollments are strong in our continuing education QuickBooks classes and continue to grow.  Now’s your chance to learn the ins and outs of this software from Corey Didier. Corey holds a Master’s degree and is a licensed general contractor and consultant to businesses both large and small.
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When was the last time you took an Excel course? If you are like most of us you have probably googled a command or two or watched a YouTube video on a specific function when needed. You get the work done, but the experience was uninspiring.

Over the course of a few weeks, you’re lucky if two or three of the new commands or functions you learned make it into your daily routine.  Sound familiar?

Here are some simple Microsoft Excel tricks you can use to be more productive at work.
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It is no secret that the labor market is very competitive today.  With job postings almost everywhere, employers are actively looking for job candidates using several methods.  Here at Moraine Park Technical College we are not immune to this challenge either with both employees and students.  We are looking to combat the talent shortage issues locally, by actively working with our business partners to help them with on-site training, getting them connected to our program students or growing our boot camp programs.

Speaking of boot camps, Moraine Park Technical College had the privilege of attending the Washington County Job Fair on Wednesday, August 16^th. 
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“Our decision to donate is based on our belief in the college’s mission statement “Preparing students for success in a diverse and globally connected world”.  Access to the resources of a dependable and relevant educational program, such as Moraine Park, is paramount to our success”, Steel Craft Corporation.

Moraine Park Economic’s and Workforce Development department has partnered with Steel Craft Corporation in Hartford, WI to provide them with performance-minded business solutions.  Moraine Park is working with Steel Craft to understand their needs as a company and their desire to build a skilled, high performance workforce.  In return Steel Craft believes in the education of our students and in Moraine Park’s mission, because they have seen the value our instructors bring to their workforce.  That is why they generously decided to donate materials needed to support the education of Moraine Park’s students.
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We all have goals of living independently and being self-sufficient but often obstacles and challenges get in our way.  On May 11, nine students were able to celebrate successful completion of a 2-year Learning for Independence (LFI) Program, moving them one step closer to meeting their goal of independence.  Surrounded by family, friends, instructors and school staff, the students shared their LFI program portfolios and final comments of the program.
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