CNC/Tool and Die Technology students recently completed 6 weeks of Soft Skills sessions with Lisa Ferguson, Careers Instructor on the West Bend Campus, as part of their CNC Controls classes with CNC Instructors, Jim Hokensen and Craig Seidl.  The sessions enforced the importance of Soft Skills in the workplace and were centered on Wisconsin’s Critical Core Manufacturing Skills (CCMS). What started four years ago, as part of the Career Pathways grant, is still in place today as part of this collaboration.

Soft Skill sessions included: Soft Skills and why are they are important, DISC Assessment, Positive Attitude, FISH, Communication Skills (including non-verbal communication skills) and Team Building/Problem Solving. Students participated in interactive activities for each session.

Representatives from business and industry have identified skills that are essential to success in manufacturing. Students are expected to demonstrate the Critical Core Manufacturing Skills (CCMS) throughout all manufacturing classes. These skills include work cooperatively, work productively, listen effectively, demonstrate a positive attitude, maintain a safe work environment, demonstrate integrity, communicate clearly, follow directions, apply problem solving strategies, apply mathematical reasoning, think critically and adapt to change.

Moraine Park Careers Instructors assist with Soft Skills in addition to Career Assessment (DISC, MBTI, Strong Interest Inventory, and EDITS), Job Seeking/Employability Skills  (Job Search, Résumés, Cover Letters, and Interviewing) and more.

Career Center class schedules are available at: www.morainepark.edu/careers

Moraine Park Careers Instructors

Rhonda Roehrig (Fond du Lac Campus) – 920-924-3244 | rroehrig2@morainepark.edu

Kim Braatz (Beaver Dam Campus) – 920-887-4437 | kbraatz1@morainepark.edu

Lisa Ferguson (West Bend Campus) – 262-335-5773 | lferguson@morainepark.edu

(Pictured are CNC Students building marshmallow towers as part of a team building challenge.)

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

                                                 POW/MIA Recognition Day, September 21, 2018

National POW/MIA (Prisoner of War/Missing in Action) Recognition Day is September 21 (annually the third Friday in September) and I thought this would be a great opportunity to provide some of the history on the flag you may have seen featuring a silhouette of an individual before a guard tower and barbed wire in white on a black field with the words “You Are Not Forgotten”.

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Meet Jeff Quackenboss, one of the mechanical design instructors at Moraine Park.

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Graduating veterans from Moraine Park Technical College had an opportunity to participate in the second annual Hail & Farewell ceremony on May 10 2018.

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Front Row: Heather Evenson, April Herrera, Kerry DeGroot, Anne Kallas, Dr. Marylou Mercado, Sandra Kirchner, Dr. Andrea Dobogai; Second Row: Michele Mengert, Heidi Martin, Mary Scheuermann, Kelly Shafaie, Chris Frederick; Third Row: Vicki Nelson, Cathy Bosch, Nikki Repp-Butzke, Barb Brown, Melissa Rodriguez, Danyel Giacomini; Fourth Row: Jamie Zwicky, Casey Truse, Karrie Bruegman-May, Heddy Pahnke, Kimberly Mueller, and Laura Glass. Missing from photo: Grace Rommelfanger.

The 2017-18 academic year is coming to a close for the Associate Degree Nursing Program at Moraine Park Technical College. The Nursing team held their final meeting on Friday, May 11, 2018, in Fond du Lac. They gathered for lunch prior to the meeting and shared all the great accomplishments that took place over the year. The team has much to celebrate!

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06Meet Kim Olson, one of the mechanical design instructors here at Moraine Park!
Mechanical design is a branch of mechanical engineering where the designers work collaboratively with engineers to develop products, machines, and tooling.

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Moraine Park Technical College’s 2018 Retirement and Service Recognition event on Wednesday, April 11, honored retirees and those who reached service anniversaries during the 2017-18 academic year.

“These individuals have been an essential part in the success of  Moraine Park. They have benefited our organization and the communities that we serve,” said Bonnie Baerwald, president of Moraine Park. “This year we had 97 combined years of service from our retirees and 337 combined years from our staff members that received service recognition awards.”

In all, 8 retirees and 21 staff members were recognized. Retirees included: Chuck Brendel of Sheboygan, associate dean of economic and workforce development; Kenneth Carnahan of Fond du Lac, anatomy and physiology instructor; Lori Erber of Beaver Dam, computer lab software application specialist; Michael Fatla of Plymouth, director of enterprise systems; Sandy Fisher of Fond du Lac, graphic production specialist; Margaret Spieth of West Bend, instructional designer; Fran Stoffel of West Bend, housekeeper; Christine Wagner of Chilton; student support specialist.

Staff members recognized for years of service included Bonnie Baerwald of Fond du Lac, 25 years; Marcia Arndt of Slinger, Lisa Pollard of Fond du Lac, and Edward Meltz of Kewaskum, 20 years.

Moraine Park also recognized 17 employees for service to the College at the 5-, 10-, 15- and 20-year levels.

To learn more about Moraine Park, visit morainepark.edu.

“Hi, I’m Sarah Ninmer, Marketing instructor here at Moraine Park Technical College. I live in New Holstein with my husband of 17 years. Together we have a 10-year-old son and 20-year-old stepdaughter. We enjoy traveling and like to go to Florida almost yearly. I have a love for donkeys and volunteer at Holyland Donkey Haven located a few miles east of Fond du Lac. I have adopted a donkey named Russell.

I earned my Associate’s in Graphic Communications in 2000 and went on to earn my Bachelor’s from Lakeland University in 2004. I started my career as a Graphic Designer, working on packaging. I grew my skill sets by going back to school and taking digital courses and was promoted to Digital Services Manager. I chose this field because it’s creative, competitive and never the same. You will always be learning new marketing tactics, software systems or strategies.

Prior to coming to Moraine Park, I had been considering teaching. It worked out that I had the exact amount of work experience necessary to be able to effectively teach students about the marketing world. I have now been at Moraine Park for about 1 1/2 years, and it has been rewarding. The students have been so much fun to interact with and the best experience has been to see my students grow their skill sets. Many of them have marketing internships or part-time jobs already. It’s exciting to hear them talk about implementing what they have learned in the classroom to the real world.

My advice to those considering a marketing career? Every organization is in need of a marketing department and marketing is a vital part of business success. There are a lot of opportunities for job placement and growth within an organization. Marketing and Social Media Management requires creativity and the ability to adapt to new technology and embrace change, which makes this career exciting and never dull.”

For more information on Moraine Park’s marketing programs, visit morainepark.edu.

The Moraine Park Technical College Economic and Workforce Development Department is pleased to welcome Mindie Boynton as a new Business Representative.  Her role as Business Representative is to consult with businesses and other organizations to identify skills gaps of their employees, develop a plan to close those gaps, and then execute the appropriate training.  Her goal is to help businesses become more competitive and profitable, and organizations to become more effective and efficient by helping their employees acquire new skills or improve their existing skills.

Mindie comes to MPTC from UW Oshkosh, where she was the Director of the Growth Management Academy and also an Outreach Program Manager for the past 6 years. She also served as a coach and mentor to students participating in the Sales Emphasis program through the UW Oshkosh College of Business. Prior to that, Mindie spent the past 10 years in private sector sales and marketing roles.

Mindie earned her Bachelor’s degree from UW Milwaukee. She is a Certified Program Planner (CPP) and is licensed in social & behavioral research.

She has served on many regional committees and boards to include the Northeast Wisconsin Manufacturing Alliance task force, Northeast Wisconsin IT alliance committee, Oshkosh Chamber marketing committee, Propel steering committee, and Women in Management, past president.

She enjoys spending time with her husband, two sons and French bulldog. They enjoy spending time on the lake, live music, traveling and all things outdoors.

“I am excited to be a part of the EWD team that is developing talent and tackling important workforce challenges that impact our region and beyond. I am passionate about developing meaningful relationships, helping businesses achieve their goals by connecting them with resources to be successful.”

For more information, visit www.morainepark.edu/gateways/business-and-industry/.