Moraine Park Technical College student, Austin Seidel of West Bend, earned third place at the 2021 National SkillsUSA Leadership and Skills Conference during the week of June 21.

Seidel, an electricity student at the College, competed at the regional conference last April in the Industrial Motor Controls category. He earned first place- advancing him to nationals. More than 16,000 students from across the nation participated in the weeklong event.

SkillsUSA is the showcase for the best career and technical students in the nation. Their philosophy is to reward students for excellence, involve industry in directly evaluating student performance and keep training relevant to employers’ needs.

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Moraine Park Technical College students from both the CNC Tool and Die and Electricity clubs participated virtually in the 2021 Wisconsin SkillsUSA State Leadership and Skills Conference during the week of April 12.

The CNC Tool and Die Club representatives competed in the Automated Manufacturing Technology category. Participants who earned second place are Alyssa Bidenbender of West Bend, William Fuhrmann of Fond du Lac, and Cole Duehring of West Bend. Pariticpants who earned third place are Logan Kelley of Port Washington, Brady Falk of West Bend, and Phillip Paulus of Fredonia.

Electricity Club representatives competed in the Industrial Motor Controls category and earned a complete sweep of the top three spots. Participants were Austin Seidel of West Bend, first place; Eric Helgeson of Juneau, second place; and, Seth Mckenzie of Sheboygan, third place.

Seidel will represent Moraine Park Technical College at the SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference (NLSC), June 21-24. The National event will also be held virtually.

SkillsUSA is the showcase for the best career and technical students in the nation. The philosophy of the event is to reward students for excellence, involve industry in directly evaluating student performance and keep training relevant to employers’ needs. More than 16,000 people are expected to participate in the NLSC weeklong event.

For more information about Moraine Park Technical College, visit morainepark.edu.

Moraine Park’s Water Quality Technology program provides students with the skills and training to perform testing, analysis and treatment to community and industrial water supplies.

Water Quality technicians are responsible for ensuring that the water we use is safe and that discharge water is processed effectively. Their work combines the precision and accuracy found in the biochemical laboratory with operational aptitude and troubleshooting skills.

Each day, municipalities and industries generate billions of gallons of wastewater that must be collected, analyzed and treated.

MPTC’s Program graduates also have employment opportunities as environmental technicians and field service technicians at companies that design and install water treatment equipment for municipalities and manufacturing companies.

Career Opportunities
• Environmental Technician
• Field Service Technician
• Industrial Waste Technician
• Wastewater System Technician
• Water Plant Operator
• Water Treatment Equipment Sales Representative

To add to the above opportunities, there are positions available at breweries as they treat their water and wastewater, at large dairies where they process the milk, food handling companies such as packaging plants, and harvesting companies that process the food like Heinz or pickle producers. Some other areas include bean harvesters and canners, cheese factories, paper mills, and engineering firms as Operations Specialists, where the O&M Specialist helps with some design, writes documents for operators, trains people in processes, and will perform process startup services once built. Some have found work in laboratories, aquariums, pond or lake maintenance and water parks.
Any company involved in water or wastewater operations are all good places that have openings regularly.
So, if you desire a career that is highly sustainable, give Water Quality Technology a try!

Are you interested in a new career in just 3 months? What about earning a college level certificate with hands on training and a PAID internship as part of the deal? Even better- NO TUITION for students! Tuition and materials are covered 100% by a combination of grants and community agency support. No experience necessary and no income limits applied! Check out upcoming opportunities with Moraine Park’s Manufacturing Boot Camps. We offer 3 month training programs in CNC Machining and in Welding where you can earn an entry level certificate and take part in a paid internship at a local business with the opportunity for it to become a full time job offer when you complete the program.

Unsure what Welding and CNC Machining have to offer? Come check us out at our Test Drive on December 9^th where you can tour the labs, participate in a workshop for CNC or Welding and try your hand at creating a project with the help of our instructors. Participating is FREE and you are not obligated to apply or enroll after. Spaces will be limited due to COVID-19 protocols, so please sign up early.

The first step to enrolling in Boot Camps is attending an Information Session, where you will learn more about Boot Camps and next steps. Information sessions will be held in January 2021 and Boot Camps will run March-June 2021. Boot Camps are a full time program for 3 months and run Monday-Friday, 8:00 am – 4:30 pm.

Sign up for an Information session now

Visit www.morainepark.edu/bootcamps to sign up for the Test Drive or for an Information Session to learn more!

Top: SVA President Brad Resler

Right: American Legion Post 36 Member

Members of the Student Veterans of America (SVA) Club teamed up with the West Bend area Sons of Veterans Club and completed a lighting upgrade project for the West Bend American Legion Post 36.

The American Legion Post 36 was in need of upgrading their lighting to save hundreds of dollars in energy each year. At the same time, the SVA Club was searching for ways to help community veterans. That’s when SVA President Brad Resler reached out to an American Legion member and the two clubs teamed up. The upgrade included replacing 75 old, energy consuming florescent fixtures with new, energy efficient LED fixtures.

The project was expected to take about 2 full days to complete. However, with the teamwork of both the SVA and Sons of Veterans, the entire project was completed in one 9-hour day. It was amazing teamwork to benefit a very deserving group of veterans.

The Student Veterans of America Club is open to veterans, and those currently serving, as well as students, faculty, staff, family members and supporters of individuals who have served or currently serving.

SVA members also shown below are: Vice President Jeff Shurpit, Secretary Alex Arendt, Tommy Lee, Joel Schoeneck, Collin Shurpit and Matt Tillman.

Moraine Park Technical College is hosting a Jane of All Trades event series on February 19, February 26, and March 4, from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the West Bend Campus. 

This unique three-day event will give women, ages 16 and older, an opportunity to experience nontraditional occupations such as Mechanical Design, CNC/Tool and Die Technologies, and Electricity, in a comfortable and judgment-free environment. 

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, nontraditional occupations for women are jobs in which 25 percent or less of the workforce are female. Many of these professions offer significant rewards for those specializing in them, including higher salaries, better benefits, opportunities for advancement, on-the-job education and training, and flexible work hours.

Space is limited, and registration is required. For more information or to register, visit morainepark.edu/jane.

Did you know that October 23, 2019 was National “Imagine a Day Without Water” day?

With all these special days throughout the year we tend to lose track of all those important days. I personally like “pi day.” Some restaurants on “pi day,” which is March 14^th (3.14 or π), will give you a free piece of pie with an entree. That is pretty neat if you like pie, and I do fall into that group.

However, when we think about a day without water, there is really nothing fun about that at all. Having spent many days in that situation, I can state honestly that it is truly not fun. The longest time was after a typhoon that hit the island of Guam. We were prepared in that we had stored water, nonperishable food, and had water stored in two tubs. The 15 days seemed like an eternity, but imagine those experiencing these issues several times a month or more. Not all from storms, but from failed aged equipment, water shortages, dry wells, poor water quality, and other issues.

For many of us, we do not think about water until the faucet no longer has running water, but water is a key to healthy living, hygiene, proper waste water disposal in populated areas, and so much more.

At Moraine Park Technical College, our Water Quality Technology program, which is a two-year associates degree, covers some of these exact issues. It covers water supply, from the ground and surface. Courses include advanced subjects in water and wastewater, hydraulics, chemistry and management.

If you have interest in working in a field that is highly rewarding, has numerous employment opportunities here and abroad, and can also involves working in areas that need assistance with the supply of safe drinking water, then take a look at our program. Graduates and those holding degrees in this important area of expertise have obtained positions working for municipalities, States, Territories, the US Government, private companies, engineering firms, water parks, breweries, packaging plants, mills, consultants, non-profits, and many other positions in industry and water related areas.

The sky is the limit, the opportunity is here to be a part of something important. Imagine, a day without water. Maybe you can be a part of ending that type of real experience reflection for many people-here locally, or overseas.

Learn more about the water quality technology associate degree program here.

An apprenticeship – what is that? Terri Kollmann, the Applied Technology/Trades Administrative Assistant answers this question quite often for students. It’s not a Boot Camp, and it’s not an Internship. To put it simply – You Work While You Learn.

An apprenticeship is an opportunity to grow in a well-paying, in-demand career. You can attend school while working a full-time job. Both Moraine Park and the company will work to train you on the full scope of your trade.

Caleb Rahn, Josh Frederick, and Tyler Guell are second-year Electrical apprentices.

Caleb works for DeTroye Electric in Oostburg, WI. “I started my apprenticeship right out of high school.”

Josh, an apprentice for Dave Jones, Inc. in Monona, WI, switched careers after 39 years.
“I like that I’m getting paid to learn,” he said.

Tyler is an apprentice for Endries Solar & Electric, LLC. in Sheboygan, WI.
“I was a heavy equipment operator,” he said. “The best decision I ever made was switching careers after 41 years.”

Whether you’re right out of high school or changing careers, with an apprenticeship, you start with a job and build a career!

Do you think an apprenticeship might be right for you or someone you know? Do you have any questions?

Feel free to contact Terri at: tkollmann@morainepark.edu

I hope you enjoyed the July 4th activities around the State, and still have plans to enjoy the outdoors as we enter the second half of summer. For those attending our certification courses and others that have recently passed their State certification exams, congratulations. Enjoy your successes. Thank you for the emails, as your success is why we offer these important courses.

We all have heard and talked about present and projected openings in the career field. Shortages of employees are being felt here and in other States. Many times’ we are in competition with other entities that need educated employees to fill varying positions, including operations staff. We look toward consistent staffing and hope to promote strong programs that enable successful succession planning.

Here at Moraine Park Technical College, we have been training students in water and wastewater for years. With ever changing updated curriculum, great input from our programs advisory committee, and related experiences in the field, our Water Quality Technology program remains a strong valuable tool for students and potential employers. For participants in the short water certification courses, their successes with related State exams, continues to promote those efforts as well.

If you or your utility, community or organization, are considering succession planning, then please look to Moraine Park Technical College to be a part of that effort. The wheel, so to speak, has been invented and it has been quite successful, so please look to a strong, proven education, as a part of your succession plans.

Courses for the Water Quality Technology program which leads to an accredited Associated Degree, start in August. Enrollment in the online courses are now underway. For more information, visit
www.morainepark.edu/programs/water+quality+technology/. Certification courses that prepare participants for the seven state water certification sub-grades, also start in late August. Registration is also open for those courses. View the schedule for the upcoming year here. Moraine Park credits are also transferable to 4-year schools, many of which offer online programs as well.

Finally, if you are in need of employees, please consider Moraine Park students and graduates, and consider using Wisconsin TechConnect as a posting site for each opportunity. Wisconsin TechConnect reaches out to all students throughout the Wisconsin Technical College System that are in programs related to the position offered. If you have an opening, always feel free to send it my way, and I will forward to students and graduates. I can also get you in touch with the MPTC Wisconsin TechConnect representative, who will assist you in your efforts.

Please consider our program and courses in your succession planning, as a strong education is truly the building blocks to entity and employee success.