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).
2018 STRAT Participants
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.
Moraine Park Technical College
held its bi-annual Manufacturing Skills Academy graduation on Thursday,
December 13. The College had 23 students graduate from the program; 10 from the
Computer Numerical Control (CNC) machinist boot camp and 13 from the welding
boot camp.
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 Amerequip Corporation, Apache Stainless, Fives Giddings &
Lewis, Integrity Saw & Tool, Mayville Engineering Company, Metalcraft of
Mayville, Mid States Aluminum, Signicast, Wabash National, and Weasler
Engineering.
Since the induction of these
sessions in 2012, Moraine Park has had 298 students graduate from the welding
and CNC boot camp programs.
Those who
completed the most recent CNC boot camp include: Darlene Anderson of Fond du
Lac, Nicole Busack of West Bend, Robert
Fisher of North Fond du Lac, Ryan Gaus of Fond du Lac, Cory Herrmann of Fond du Lac, Kyle
Jenquine of Fond du Lac, Montgomery Kikkert of Fox Lake, Carissa Metz of
Waupun, Rick Rodriguez of Fond du Lac, and Alex Russart of Fond du Lac.
Those who
completed the welding boot camp include: Brennan Bryan of Fond du Lac, Nita
Cook of Beaver Dam, Jennifer Donahue of Beaver Dam, Jordan Finley of DeForest,
Dave Finn of Fond du Lac, Michelle Flanagan of Plymouth, Casey Hermann of Fond
du Lac, Frank Huber of Juneau, Amy Mann of Fond du Lac, Noah Prost of
Watertown, Cecilia Tovar of Beaver Dam, Jeremiah Vanderkin-Jus of Fond du Lac,
and Brian Wilcox of Fond du Lac.
The graduation
ceremony included speeches from students Busack and Mann.
Busack, a CNC
graduate, is grateful for the experience Moraine Park gave her through the boot
camp program.
“A lot of us have
worked dead end jobs, and didn’t know our hidden potential,” said Busack. “Thanks
to Moraine Park and our instructors, we all have a chance to find it. This has
opened so many doors for a lot of us.”
Busack served her
program internship at Signicast in Hartford and was hired full-time prior to
graduation.
Mann, a welding
graduate, came to Moraine Park in search of a career she could be passionate
about. She completed her internship at Mayille Engineering Company (MEC) and
was also hired on as a full-time employee prior to graduation.
“The boot camp
program taught me that if there’s something I really want to accomplish, I can
do it,” Mann said. “I am standing here today as a welder, a high school
graduate, and a newly hired employee of Mayville Engineering Company.”
Moraine Park’s
Skills Academy boot camps are free to participating students, thanks to grant
dollars from Wisconsin Fast Forward and financial support from area businesses
including Amerequip, Apache Stainless, Elkay Interior Systems, Fives, Integrity
Saw & Tool, Inc., John Deere Horicon Works, John Crane, Mayville
Engineering Company, Midstates Aluminum Corporation, Signicast, SJI/Busse, and
Wabash National.
“We are very
pleased to participate with Moraine Park’s CNC boot camp again this semester,”
Paul Reetz, owner of Ingetrity Saw & Tool, Inc. said. “We have been able to
gain quality employees who are advanced on the learning curve. The
program teaches them to become a valuable member of our company by the time they
become full-time employees at the end of the semester. It’s a rare
win-win-win situation for all involved in the partnership!”
In addition, welding training is also funded,
in part, through a GPR grant that incorporates both Adult Basic Education and
welding. The purpose of this training is to allow students seeking their High
School Equivalency Diploma (HSED), the opportunity to take the welding boot
camp in conjunction. This training opportunity is open to anyone interested in
pursuing their HSED.
Individuals interested
in learning more about the CNC and welding boot camp opportunities are
encouraged to attend a Boot Camp Test Drive event scheduled at Moraine Park’s
Fond du Lac campus on January 23 and 24. Registration is recommended.
Moraine Park’s boot camps are three-month programs that prepare students for a career in welding or computer numerical control (CNC) machining. They aim to combat the current skilled worker shortage in the industry. Without the commitment of our business partners, this training wouldn’t be possible.
What kind of Community Education courses does Moraine Park Technical College offer?
Our campuses offer over 800 courses per year at various locations throughout the district. We have offerings in estate planning, health and wellness, small business, culinary, crafts and recreations, computers. Basically we offer a variety of courses in many different areas; these courses are available to help you grow your expertise or to take just for the fun of it! Continue reading
Wisconsin continues to add private sector jobs, especially in sectors like manufacturing. Over the past year, Wisconsin added 38,500 private sector jobs and 21,300 manufacturing jobs. Therefore, ff you’ve just hired 10 new employees, chances are that three of them will quit within the next 90 days, according to a new survey from Jobvite, recruiting software providers (Fastcompany.com).
According to the National Sleep Foundation, it is estimated that more than 18 million adults in America have sleep apnea. It’s also estimated that between 10-20% of habitually snoring children experience obstructive sleep apnea. These are astounding statistics in a society full of sleep deprived individuals. These individuals seek help at Sleep Centers throughout the country. Did you know we have about 10 sleep centers within an hour of Fond du Lac?
For those seeking a new career in healthcare, becoming a Sleep Technician might be a good option for you. Do you enjoy working nights? If you really don’t mind working 3rd shift, like to work with people and computers, this career could be for you! Most Sleep Technicians work overnight conducting sleep studies, reviewing the results and creating summary reports to guide the patients care.
The A-STEP Introduction to Sleep program at MPTC was developed by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. In collaboration with St. Agnes Hospital, the program is offered locally in Fond du Lac for those interested in pursuing a career as a Sleep Technician. This 80-hour accredited course is a great introduction to Sleep Medicine and allows students a faster pathway to a great career. While there are additional requirements after the 80-hour training, they are generally completed while the Sleep Tech is working in the field as either an Intern or entry level Sleep Technician.
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