It’s almost that time again! Spring Elections in WI! The Spring Primary takes place on Tuesday, February 16, 2021. The main Spring Election takes place on Tuesday, April 6, 2021.

Besides local races that are important in your own community, statewide we are voting for WI State Superintendent of Schools and WI Circuit Court.

For more information on WI Voting go to My Vote WI.

For detailed info on all the candidates, visit VOTE 411.

Campus Election Engagement Project (CEEP) is a national nonpartisan project that helps administrators, faculty, staff and student leaders at America’s colleges and universities engage students in federal, state and local elections, working to promote a more equitable and inclusive democracy, and to overcome the ever-changing barriers to voting.  With support and guidance from our state directors, our schools help their students to register, volunteer in campaigns, educate themselves on candidates and issues, navigate confusing voting laws, and turn out at the polls.

Moraine Park Technical College has made the difficult decision to postpone Tech Knowledge College (TKC) until 2022. The COVID-19 situation is still very fluid, and the safety and well being of our entire communities remain a top priority.

We appreciate the continued community support around this great summer camp opportunity, and stay tuned for information on TKC 2022.

Sign up for our newsletter at morainepark.edu/tkc to receive information on TKC.

82% of middle-level careers are considered digitally intensive (Bradley, Restuccia, Rudnicki, & Bittle, 2017).  The proficient use of technology is required in almost all careers and is essential to upward mobility.  Jobs with digital skill requirements are “growing faster, pay more and offer greater opportunity for career advancement than jobs without those requirements” (Bradley, Restuccia, Rudnicki, & Bittle, 2017). 

Earning micro-credentials is a quick, valuable way to provide employers with evidence that applicants possess these digital skills.  Micro-credentials are defined as “mini-qualifications that demonstrate skills, knowledge, and/or experience in a given subject area or capability” (SUNY, 2017). These credentials can be earned in shorter time, are often more focused, and can be a stepping-stone toward a degree.

Why is it so important to be technologically proficient?  Let’s consider our own work experiences.  Most of us have collaborated on projects with co-workers who are less efficient than they might be if they learned to digitally collaborate, utilize file sharing, and collectively edit documents. We may have worked with someone who took longer to write a report than necessary because they did not learn new technology.  We have felt frustrated by a co-worker who could not interpret numerical data or share it in a manner that was easily understandable.  We have sat through bad presentations that leave us feeling disengaged.  We have experienced working with someone who cannot pull data into a comprehensive and easy to interpret report.  This results in an inefficient use of time and results in lack of productivity. Learning to utilize collaborations tools, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Access can make our workplaces more effective and efficient. 

Today’s workplace requires the ability to pivot, work remotely and collaboratively, and adapt to change.  Moraine Park offers many classes that build and enhance skills in technology.  Our Office Software Suite Certificate is available in a hybrid format and builds essential skills in collaboration, word processing, working with spreadsheets, creating engaging presentations, and utilizing databases.  Badges earned in these classes can be shared electronically with co-workers, social media, and potential employers.  More information is available here: https://www.morainepark.edu/academics/programs/office-software-suite-certificate/

Written by Stephanie Murre Wolf, Moraine Park Technical College, Business Technology & Software Applications Instructor, Information Technology Academics

References
Bradley, B., Restuccia, D., Rudnicki, C., & Bittle, S. (2017). The Digital Edge: Middle Skill Workers and Careers. Boston, MA: Burning Glass Technologies. http://www.burning-glass.com/wp-content/uploads/Digital_Edge_report_2017_final.pdf​ 
SUNY. (2017, October 24). What are micro-credentials and how can they benefit both businesses and employees? Retrieved from Deakin: https://www.deakinco.com/media-centre/article/Benefits-of-micro-credentials-for-business-and-employees#:~:text=Micro%2Dcredentials%20are%20mini%2Dqualifications,qualifications%20like%20diplomas%20or%20degrees. 

Wednesday, Feb 10th the West Bend Student Nursing Association (SNA) group put their books away for an hour or so to be creative and add a little cheer to the residents at Cedar Community in West Bend. 

Using stamps, ink, scissors and colored pencils they created valentine cards for residents.  Some of these cards were attached to personal care items.

  The cards and the small gifts were given to the Cedar Community Activities department and distributed to the to residents. 

For more information, visit morainepark.edu.

Great News for MPTC students – HOT JOBS!

Hot Jobs in Wisconsin are predicted and chances are you are in training now for one of them. In a Wisconsin State & Regional Economic Trends presentation, Scott Hodek, Section Chief – DWD Office of Economic Advisors shared the top 10 Hot Jobs in Wisconsin. These jobs represent higher than average numbers projected annually and higher than median salary.

1. Truck Drivers
2. Sales Representatives
3. Maintenance & Repair workers
4. Registered Nurse
5. General & Operations Managers
6. First-Line Supervisors of Production & Operating workers
7. Elementary School Teachers
8. Accountants & Auditors
9. Carpenters
10. Farmers, Ranchers, & other Agricultural Managers

Prepare yourself for the job market. Have your résumé and cover letter reviewed. Participate in a mock interview. You never get a second chance to make a good first impression.

Contact a Careers Instructor today.

Chairs spread out across the cafeteria.

Air fives for congratulations.

Alumni and business partner videos.

Masked pictures.

Family and friends attending on zoom.

Individually wrapped “cake”.

The Fall 2020 Welding and CNC Boot Camp completion definitely looked different from the ones MPTC’s Economic and Workforce Development has held before. But then, so did the entire boot camp.

Boot camp is always intense. The phrase, “We call it boot camp for a reason,” gets thrown around often as the normal stresses of learning to be a student again, balancing home and work life, and life hurdles get in the way. This semester the addition of quarantines and resulting virtual attendance and loss of hands on time added to the challenge.

But nine remained and we celebrated your accomplishment the only way we could. EWD wishes the best to our boot camp completers and acknowledges the extra hurdles you overcame, the extra patience you showed, and the extra flexibility it took to make it though.

We’re proud of you and your unique accomplishment.

We hope the unique ceremony showed just how much.

MPTC’s Economic and Workforce Development boot camps have been held continuously since fall of 2012 at little or no charge to students. Recruiting for spring has already begun. If you’re interested in being part of boot camps, or just want to know a little bit more about them, look us up at www.morainepark.edu/bootcamps.

Amanda Kollmorgan, a Leadership and Organizational Development student, is getting fired up! As a part of her capstone course, Amanda is conducting a service learning project. Service learning takes the learning experience outside of the classroom, connects students to community, and provides a mutually benefit to the student and community through the service. Amanda is applying skills and knowledge acquired through the completion of her program in a project with the Village of St. Cloud Fire Department. She is partnering with local heroes to provide a COVID friendly online auction to help meet department needs.

When asked why she chose a community project, she reflected on her feelings about the community and why giving back was important to her. “I am not from the Fond du Lac area and come from a very small family. When I married my husband, I married into a large Fond du Lac and Holyland family. When I started a job in St Cloud, everyone immediately made me feel like family. The community out there is so warm and friendly. It just really feels like home, even though it’s not. That’s why I chose to support the Fire Department. They are volunteer based and rely completely on the community to run, so what better way to give back to all of those folks who became part of my family than do a fundraiser”.

Amanda is set to finish the associate degree program this semester and reflected on her experience at MPTC. “I truly love how involved in the community it is, the number of resources there are, the ability and support of the staff available, and the quality of teachers. This is my third time attending college, and I regret not having been able to start my journey here. In fact, I love this school so much I signed up for a second degree starting in the fall!”.

Amanda plans to leverage the knowledge, insight, and tools gained from her experience in the program to achieve her short and long-term career goals which include owning her own bakery. She shared that she now has”…a better understanding of how to manage people plus be aware of the laws and regulations that pertain to them. I feel better apt to provide trainings as well as plan and manage projects. For the bakery, I am aware of what will take to plan my project proposal, as well the laws governing recruiting, hiring, and employing personnel”.

The Moraine Park Community extends their appreciation to Amanda to all of her service to community!

Did you know?

*70 percent of cocoa is produced by small holder farmers in West Africa, primarily Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana. Indonesia, Brazil, and Ecuador are also major cocoa-producing countries.

*Cocoa trees take about five years to reach peak production and can continue producing at that level for about ten years.

*Chocolate is made from the seeds of cocoa pods, a tree-grown fruit. After harvesting, the seeds are removed from the pods and processed (fermented, dried, then roasted).

*It takes about 500 cocoa beans to make one pound of chocolate. In an average year, a cocoa tree produces enough fruit to make about two pounds of chocolate.

An estimated two million children work on cocoa farms. Up to 40 percent of these children are not enrolled in school. Many Cocoa farmers are exposed to numerous hazards, including dangerous tools, dust, flames or
smoke, hazardous chemicals, and physically demanding labor. Fair Trade standards prohibit child labor, and community development premiums are often used to improve access to education. Fair Trade standards also prohibit harmful chemicals and provide a framework for environmental sustainability. The Fair Trade minimum price protects farmers against market volatility by ensuring a minimum sale price for their crops.

We love chocolate and other products made with cocoa. It is part of our daily lives. At the same time, many people do not know how tough cocoa farming is, nor do they know the impact of choosing one chocolate bar over another. By choosing chocolate with the Fair Trade logo, you are standing up for the people and places involved in the cocoa industry.  MPTC bookstores carry Divine Chocolate bars. Look for the Fair Trade logo on all chocolate you buy at your grocery store or local market.

Find out more about Fair Trade and MPTC Fair Trade College!