Graduates from Moraine Park’s Medical Laboratory Technician (MLT) class are beginning new careers as certified Medical Laboratory Technicians!

This year, nine students graduated from the program and have begun working in the field. All of the students successfully passed the American Society of Clinical Pathologists (ASCP) National Certification Exam on their first attempt to become official MLT (ASCP) employees. This is quite the accomplishment, since the national average for passing the ASCP Board of Certification Exam on the first attempt is 83 percent.

Medical Laboratory Technicians play a main role in the diagnosis and treatment of patients through evaluation of patient specimens and reporting accurate results to physicians and other health care team members. The need for skilled professionals is in high demand as the field of laboratory science continues to expand and a large number of the current workforce is retiring. Employment opportunities are abundant throughout the United States.

For more information about this career, contact Linda Bau, MLT Program Director at lbau@morainepark.edu or (920) 924.3314. 

I hope to hear from you soon!

Moraine Park Technical College is offering a unique opportunity to “Test Drive” and learn about the welding and computerized numerical control (CNC) machining careers.

The Test Drive event will offer the opportunity to explore these respective careers, meet potential employers, and receive valuable real-world opportunities. A two-day event will be at the Fond du Lac campus on Tuesday, July 16 and Thursday, July 18, and there will be a one-day event at the Beaver Dam campus on Tuesday, July 23. Both events will include a free, hands-on workshop.

Participants who attend the Test Drive event will also learn about Moraine Park’s Manufacturing Skills Academy boot camp program. These expedited 13- to 15-week sessions are offered for free, and they allow individuals the opportunity to learn a skilled trade. The boot camp program was created to help address the manufacturing industry need for skilled workers.

CNC machining and welding boot camps are scheduled to begin in September 2019, with applications currently being accepted.

“Past participants have really appreciated these events,” JoAnn Hall, dean of economic and workforce development at Moraine Park said. “They offer a glimpse directly into the career path and allow individuals the opportunity to see if it will be a good fit.”

Individuals interested in participating in one of the boot camp programs are required to attend either a Test Drive event or an Information and Testing session as a first step in the application process.

Information and Testing sessions will be in Fond du Lac on Tuesday, July 2 and Thursday, July 25; Beaver Dam on Thursday, July 11; West Bend on Monday, July 22.

The boot camp programs are free to participating students thanks to employment opportunities and financial support provided by area businesses including Amerequip, Apache Stainless, Integrity Saw & Tool, Inc., Miba, Midstates Aluminum Corporation, Signicast, and Wabash National. Individuals interested in applying for the program are required to pay the $30 program registration fee.

Space is limited for the Test Drive events, and pre-registration is required. For more details or to register, visit morainepark.edu/bootcamp, or call Nikki Dahlke at (920) 924-3334.

We can’t stop celebrating commencement and the many accomplishments that happened at Moraine Park this last year. To keep the party going, we have included links to all of the celebration photos.

Happy reminiscing!

2019 Commencement Ceremony

2019 GED/HSED Graduation

2019 Bootcamp Graduation

Nursing Pinning Ceremonies

Student Awards Banquet

Are you dreaming of accomplishing your educational goals? Moraine Park has many options to get you into your dream career. Find out more at morainepark.edu.

It was a beautiful sunny Saturday morning, and Moraine Park Technical College and Marian University teamed up once again to sponsor a veteran’s suicide awareness event, dubbed 22 No More. A 2.2-mile trek to help raise awareness of the many veterans’ lives lost too soon due to suicide.

Over 125 people participated in this year’s annual event, intended to raise awareness of the alarming suicide rate among veterans and, form a strong community around those who have served or currently serving. Although 2.2 miles may not seem like a significant distance, the number was chosen to identify the 20-22 veteran suicides or, one every 80 minutes which occur every day, and, ensure everyone who attended would be able to take part in the event.

Participants received a free 22 No More water bottle or small nylon sport-pack courtesy of the Wisconsin Department of Veteran Affairs and everyone was encouraged to honor a service member by carrying a photo of them during the walk. There was also an opportunity for the community to meet with area veteran resource providers, the National Guard, and ROTC service members.

The event began promptly at 10:00 a.m. with a flag presentation by Marian University’s ROTC followed by the 2.2-mile walk around the Fond du Lac Soccer Complex. Participants also got the marathon treatment courtesy of MPTC’s Health and Wellbeing Committee who provided water and bananas along the way and, the walk ended with a free from Yummy Bones Barbeque sponsored by Moraine Park’s Student Veterans and Civil Engineering Technology Clubs.  Plans are in the works to conduct the 22 No More walk again next year, and we are always looking for new ways to raise awareness and increase participation. If you would like more information or may be interested in assisting next year, please contact Steve Pepper, Moraine Park’s Student Veteran Specialist at 920-924-3489 or spepper1@morainepark.edu .

“I recognize that developing my critical and creative thinking is necessary for my future career as a web developer. In web development you never stop using critical and creative thinking from the moment you meet with a customer until the time you finish a website.

For example, when you first work with a client, you need to stop and think about who the audience is for the website. Everything needs to be tailored to that audience – just like the first few steps in the critical thinking process. You need to stop, obtain information, and determine what is being asked of you.

However, that’s only the start. Once you identify the audience, you must begin designing the website, logo, and any programs that may be needed. This step requires both a creative thought process and intense critical thinking at the same time. If you don’t critically and creatively think, then it’s likely that the website will appear somewhat empty in places it could otherwise be exceptional. Thus, a lot of innovation goes into web development and coding.

Furthermore, clients always bring new requests, and you need to be the mediator who is able to help them identify solutions and options. This type of situation brings you into new territory every single time you code, and if you want to be a successful web developer, you need to have the ability to create new programs, designs, and templates.

Critical and creative thinking is not just a part of web development, but rather, it occurs in all parts of the job on a daily basis.  Instructors at MPTC and industry leaders stress this fact often by stating that knowing how to code doesn’t necessarily mean anything. Almost anyone can learn to code with enough patience, but knowing how to use the code to create something significant from nothing is what makes a true programmer.  For all of these reasons, I’m glad I chose to take the Thinking Critically & Creatively course at MPTC to help my career as a web developer.”

Written by:  Tierney Cayo, MPTC Student

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

Moraine Park Technical College held its spring Manufacturing Skills Academy graduation on Wednesday, June 12. The College had 21 students graduate from the program; eight 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, Generac Power Systems, Mayville Engineering Company, Miba, Mid States Aluminum, Signicast, Tobin Machining, Wabash National, Weasler Engineering, and X-Cel Tooling.

Moraine Park has had 377 participants in the welding and CNC boot camp programs since their induction in 2012.

The spring 2019 CNC graduates are Michael Adam Abitz of North Fond du Lac, Cory Fleischfresser of Fond du Lac, Dustin Marx of Fond du Lac, Troy Riehl of Fond du Lac, Deavin Schaub of Waupun, Nancy Sery of Hartford, Demetrius Smith of West Bend, and Kou Vang of Fond du Lac.

The spring 2019 welding graduates are Christian Bailey-Steenport of West bend, Peter Demmerle of Fond du Lac, Austin Fingar of Redgranite, Nathan Hankins of Chilton, Xavier Kitchens of Fond du Lac, Dimitri Lloyd of Fond du Lac, Ontarius McFerren of West Bend, Joshua Mikula of Plymouth, Armando Murillo of Fond du Lac, Taylor Nett of Fond du Lac, Shane Rau of Fond du Lac, Dani Schommer of Fond du Lac, and Bobby Wiercioch of Fond du Lac.

This year’s graduation speakers were Smith and Hankins.

Smith, a CNC graduate, is grateful for the experience Moraine Park gave him through the boot camp program.

“This program has opened many doors,” he said. “MPTC has given us opportunities that we otherwise would not have. This program was free, and it came with 16 college credits, so some would even say it’s better than free. Some of us will add on to what we’ve learned so far. I know I will.” 

Smith served his internship at Weasler in West Bend and is now a full-time employee.

Hankins, a welding graduate, shared the story of how he thought the opportunity was too good to be true.

“I thought it was a scam,” Hankins said. “It’s so unique and unheard of that it’s nearly unbelievable.”

Hankins’s hesitations quickly faded, and he embraced the entire experience, noting that he made some lasting connections in the process. He completed his internship at Amerequip in Kiel and is a current employee.

“Be confident in your abilities, but don’t ever think you can just coast,” he said. “You don’t get to stop learning and trying just because you got a certificate or a job.”

Moraine Park’s Skills Academy boot camps are free to participating students, thanks to financial support from area businesses including Amerequip Corporation, Apache Stainless, Generac Power Systems, Mayville Engineering Company, Miba, Mid States Aluminum, Signicast, Tobin Machining, Wabash National, Weasler Engineering, and X-Cel Tooling.

Additionally, the welding training was partially funded through a GPR grant that incorporates both Adult Basic Education and welding. The purpose of this training is to allow students to complete both their High School Equivalency Diploma (HSED) and the welding boot camp.

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 July 16 and 18, and the Beaver Dam campus on July 23. For more information, visit morainepark.edu/bootcamps.

The full photo gallery of photos can be found here.

Learning about tomorrow’s careers was the focus of  our annual Toolin’ It manufacturing summer camp held in June at Moraine Park Technical College’s West Bend and Jackson campuses.

Students learned about welding, CNC, mechanical design, electricity and more, and also toured area manufacturers.

Enjoy the photo’s from this year’s camp, and if you’re interested in a career in  CNC/Tool and Die Technology, Mechanical Design, Welding or Electricity visit morainepark.edu/programs to learn more!

CNC Day

Design Day

Electricity Day

Industry Tour Day

Welding Day

Moraine Park Technical College held its 27th annual GED/HSED graduation ceremony on May 30. For the 2018-19 school year, 126 students received their General Education Development (GED) or High School Equivalency Diploma (HSED) certificates.

Rebecca Carreon of Fond du Lac, Natasha Peters of Ripon, Sandra Pfund of Slinger, and Betty Zimdars of West Bend served as student speakers.

Carreon and Peters, sisters and twins, spoke together on the struggles of life and how important it was to both of them to complete the journey together.

“I tried multiple times to finish my HSED on my own but never followed through with it because I never thought I could do it,” Peters said. “The support of family, friends, the teachers at the Student Success Center, and my sister gave me the courage and push I needed to finish.”

Both Carreon and Peters plan to continue their education at Moraine Park this fall, with an overall goal to earn their college degree.

“I have always wanted to be a labor and delivery nurse, and I finally feel like that isn’t just a dream anymore,” Carreon said. “Now I can make it a reality! We plan on starting school here at Moraine Park Technical College in the upcoming year.  After all the support we had to finish our HSED here, we can only imagine the support we will get once in our programs!”

Pfund shared her story of deciding to complete her high school diploma with the support of her friend and fellow GED student, Zimdars.

“We have maintained our friendship and motivated each other along the way,” Pfund said. “My success has been helped with a special friendship and someone to hold me accountable. Nothing is impossible, no matter what age you are. Our journey was not an easy one, but our friendship helped immensely.”

Pfund and Zimdars have decided to continue their educational journey together as Moraine Park college students.

Abby McGeehen of Berlin and Zimdars were each the recipients of $500 student scholarships.  These scholarships are awarded to GED/HSED graduates who are continuing their education at Moraine Park.

The GED/HSED students had to pass all four subject portions of the nationally recognized GED tests to receive their diploma. They also had to meet requirements in employability, digital literacy, health, and civics. Moraine Park’s GED/HSED instruction is available year-round and is one of the many services at the College that is offered for free to the community.

For more information about Moraine Park’s GED/HSED classes, visit morainepark.edu/GED.

View all of the photos from the GED/HSED graduation at https://www.flickr.com/gp/148240170@N03/Y00FC2.

Did you know how many different career opportunities there are in the field of Criminal Justice? Did you know that for the past 28 springs the MPTC Criminal Justice instructors have been hosting a Career Day to help students explore?

Students spend the day engaging in professional communications, networking, and participating in and observing mock interviews with community partners from: Fond du Lac, Washington, Dodge, Green Lake, and Winnebago County Sheriffs, Fond du Lac and Oakfield Police, State of WI Department of Corrections, and U.S. Probation. Criminal Justice Instructor Joan Barfield said, “The many available jobs and career opportunities in this high demand law, public safety, and security field can be confusing! This day is great with experiential learning for our students to get a clearer picture of all their choices so they can imagine success!”

Check out the Criminal Justice Associate Degree!