Alex Bertram didn’t really need to find something new. He spent his days at his job at a car wash, and he was okay with it. Then his mom started talking about boot camps, and then his girlfriend started talking about boot camps, and suddenly he started thinking about boot camps as something he should actually do. “I’ve been washing cars for the past two years,” said Bertram, “and I just think I was going nowhere. I got a dollar raise in a year of working there. Now that I’m here I feel like I’m always moving forward. I’m always learning something. There are so many opportunities that I have with this thing and it’s free. You get paid. You get a job – well, you could get a job, you have the opportunity to go get that for yourself.”
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Cole Strassman is going to be a welder. In fact, it seems he already is, and probably what he would have been if he had never met us. The beauty of the boot camps is that it can take you where you want to go, even if you’re already on your way.
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On a scale of 1-10, how good of a chef are you?

1 – No one lets me near the kitchen…take-out all the way!

5 – I can hold my own.

10 – Food Network is calling and wants me to have my own show!

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We would like to introduce Amy Beaman, Moraine Park Technical College Economic and Workforce Development department’s newest full-time instructor.  Beaman comes to Moraine Park with 20 years of experience in a variety of Human Resources and Organizational Development Leadership roles in both the private and public sectors including manufacturing, healthcare, service sector, and education. She hold a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from the University of Wisconsin – Oshkosh and a Master of Science Degree in Management and Organizational Development from Silver Lake College.

As an instructor, Beaman enjoy providing customized training and solutions to area businesses in leadership, communication, teambuilding, human resources and customer service.  Beaman states, “it is gratifying being part of a team that focuses on collaborating and building partnerships with the community and area businesses to bring economic growth, success, and learning excellence to our district.”

As Beaman put it, “I know that teaching is not a ‘one size fits all’, and that each individual learner comes to the classroom with a unique combination of work experiences, educational background, and career aspirations.  I am passionate about meeting each student where they are at in their professional journey and take great pride in helping people grow and develop their communication and leadership skills and potential.  By bringing real-life business examples and fruitful discussions to the classroom, each learner is able to walk away with something they can apply when they return to the work environment.”

When she’s not in the classroom, she enjoy spending time with her husband and two sons who are both in middle school.  They enjoy watching the boys play soccer and baseball, going up north, boating, and crossing off places to travel on their bucket list.

For more information on our Business & Industry workshops and seminars, visit morainepark.edu.

Welding is fun for Alex Rocha, so fun, in fact, that when the end of class is called, Rocha, a Welding Boot Camp student, wants more. “When I’m done with class, I want to say, ‘Wait! I’m done already?’” and amazingly, that love of welding is only one part of what motivates him to succeed in the boot camps.

Rocha’s young daughter motivates him. The opportunity to meet new people that can teach him new skills and share life experiences motivates him. And most of all, his past motivates him: This includes a two-year incarceration that led him to our boot camps.

“I don’t mind talking about it because it’s the past. I’m here now and my future has endless possibilities because I’m here right now. That’s my motivation.”
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For Dylan Feutz, hard work has always been the easy part. When he graduated from high school in 2011, he chose the low-cost path. “The only reason I never went to college after high school is because I didn’t want to pay for it,” said Feutz, “I just planned on just working hard and making money.” Over the years in the workforce, he’s held jobs in food service and manufacturing, but something drove him to want more.
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The Economic and Workforce Development department at Moraine Park Technical College kicked off the first 2017 Business Forum on Friday, March 10, with the topic of Talent Development Strategies and maximizing your most valuable resource.
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The Hartford Area Chamber of Commerce Annual Meeting and Supper Club celebration event was held at the legendary Chandelier Ballroom on Thursday, March 2.

The event provided an evening of fabulous networking, a silent auction and a marvelous buffet dinner prepared by Michelle Price, Executive Director of the Chandelier Ballroom and former Moraine Park community education hospitality and foods adjunct faculty.
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We are off to another successful start for our CNC & Welding Boot Camps! With week 3 of our 22nd boot camp in the books, we are excited to see where the 15 new CNC and welding recruits will go!

Most of you may not know that it’s common for participants to come into these boot camps with little or no experience in their chosen field.  So they spend the first couple weeks getting their feet wet and learning the ins and outs of their new trade.
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