In this economic climate, every competitive edge matters, leading business professionals to continually explore ways to eliminate waste thus improving overall production quality and efficiency which is the six sigma methodology that has proven results through the Moraine Park training program.

On Thursday, June 13, 2019 the Six Sigma Green Belt Spring 2019 class presented their final project results and received their certifications upon successfully completing the program. The program participants included Jeff Straup and Brent Del Ponte both Production Generalists from Grande Cheese Company and Clinton Gumieny a Quality Technician from Amerequip Corporation.  The graduation ceremony took place on the Moraine Park Technical College Fond du Lac Campus with business representatives, sponsors and project champions present.

The participants completed 88 hours of class time and additional time working on their independent projects which included developing a project team, collecting and analyzing data in an effort to reduce waste, eliminate re-work and improve customer satisfaction through product improvements. The return on the investment from these project resulted in approximately $26,000 in hard savings which averaged $8,684 per company with projected opportunity to continue the saving as the projects are fully implemented and scaled.

The Wisconsin Technical College System (WTCS) – Green Belt Certification takes employees to the next level of training in the Six Sigma philosophy. Six Sigma is a comprehensive and flexible system for achieving and sustaining bottom-line results in your organization. The fall course will begin on August 27^th with a deadline of August 2^nd to register by emailing training@morainepark.edu or calling 920-924-3449.

There will also be a complimentary Lean Enterprise/Six Sigma Executive Overview podcast available at https://www.morainepark.edu/business-and-industry/webinars/ in November 2019.

Nikki Dahlke is the new Recruitment and Advising Specialist for the boot camps in the Economic and Workforce Development Department. In her role, she will actively recruit students interested in participating in the short term manufacturing boot camps as well as support the current students attending them.

She comes to MPTC from a collaborative program between Goodwill Industries and Fox Valley Technical College where she was a Financial Coach for the Oshkosh FVTC students doing 1-1 financial counseling as well as classroom workshops to teach money management. Prior to that she worked at Fox Cities Habitat for Humanity for 4 years as the Family Services Coordinator and is still involved there as the Chair of their Family Selection Committee.

Nikki has spent her career working in non-profit case management and is looking forward to the opportunity to use those skills to help support students’ success at MPTC.

Nikki earned her Bachelors’ degrees from UW River Falls in Communicative Disorders and in Spanish. She is fully bilingual in Spanish and taught English in Mexico for a few years following college. She enjoys traveling to places off the beaten path and spending time with her husband and son.

“I am excited to continue to make a difference in the community by helping remove barriers to employment. These boot camps provide an incredible opportunity for students to gain skills, knowledge, and connections to a workplace through the internship. I look forward to working with the MPTC family in giving a hand up to people through these manufacturing boot camps.”

Interested in learning more about our boot camp opportunities, visit
https://www.morainepark.edu/services/business-and-industry/bootcamp/ .

On February 28, six students were recognized for their contribution of building a bench which was donated to Moraine Park Technical College (MPTC).  In fall 2018, the students took on a new project in their Learning for Independence (LFI) Home Repair class of building benches.  After creating four benches, the class decided to donate one to MPTC.  The bench is located at the entrance of the Integrated Manufacturing Center in the Moraine Park trades wing. 

The students attended the Home Repair class as part of the Learning for Independence program. The LFI program is a cooperative transition program offered in partnership by Fond du Lac Area High Schools and Moraine Park Technical College. The students range in age from 18- 21 years, participate in coursework in a college environment allowing them to improve social, communication and self-determination skills.  Throughout the 2 years of classes, students increase their workplace readiness skills through exposure to technology, finance, manufacturing, customer service, child care and many other areas.

On May 16, family, friends and instructors will gather as the six students are recognized during a completion ceremony held at the Moraine Park Fond du Lac campus. We wish the students well as they pursue their future endeavors. 

Classes will be starting again in fall 2019.  For additional information on the LFI program or applications for enrollment, please contact Chris Schultz at cschultz@nfdlschools.org or call 920-929-3750, extension 6143.

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

Moraine Park Technical College held its seventh Strategy, Alignment, Talent
(STRAT) 2.0 program graduation ceremony on December 12, 2018, at the Fond du Lac campus.

The STRAT 2.0 program was developed by Moraine Park’s Economic and Workforce Development division and goes beyond the typical training –  integrating feedback, stretch assignments, experiential learning and one-on-one coaching to accelerate individual performance. Individuals are sponsored by their employers and organizations to participate in cross-functional development linking strategy and execution to achieve measureable results within their organizations.  Through the program, students participate in workshops, networking events, professional coaching and self-assessments to reinforce application of key concepts to enhance individual and organizational effectiveness.

STRAT teaches participants how to make big-picture management decisions and helps them develop self-awareness as a leader that improve their company’s performance. A local executive sponsor indicated, “STRAT teaches participants how to deal with today’s issues and prepare for tomorrow’s challenges. You need to look at how to put out today’s fires while preventing them in the future.” The program supports companies with their succession planning strategy and developing their talent pipeline for the next level of executives.

The STRAT 2018 participants included Kelly Weninger, Human Resources Manager at A&W Iron & Metal, Inc.; Shannon Neu, RN Manager at Beaver Dam Community Hospital; Briana Wagner, Strategic Projects Manager at Grande Cheese; Megan Pea, Deposit Operations Officer at Horicon Bank; Christopher Stath, Director of Purchasing and Sales at Sadoff Iron & Metal Company; and Oliver Vogel, IT Administrator at Spring Valley (not pictured).

Registration is currently in process for the 2019 STRAT session. To register, call 1-800-472-4554 ext. 3449. For more information on the STRAT program visit morainepark.edu/strat.

Talitha is the new WIOA Training Navigator for Moraine Park, stationed on the Beaver Dam campus and part of the Economic and Workforce Development department.  In case you are wondering what WIOA stands for, it means Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act and Talitha’s primary role is to provide various supports for adults with barriers who want to pursue MPTC training programs which help lead them to economic self-sufficiency. 

Talitha comes to Moraine Park having spent the last ten years teaching Language Arts at La Follette High School on Madison’s east side.  She has also taught AVID for five years, which is a program designed to support students with barriers succeed in high school and prepare for college. While she found profound meaning in her work as a teacher, she was also ready to make a career change and is excited to shift her career to providing individualized supports for motivated adults.

Talitha says she is passionate about the goals of WIOA which align with the amazing work that MPTC is already doing.  She believes that by eliminating some of the small financial barriers that prevent many individuals from pursuing education/training, we can help them forge paths out of poverty and dependence on government assistance.  Talitha is truly excited for the opportunity to support motivated individuals pursue more stable and meaningful lives, and feels honored to do this work as a member of the MPTC community.

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

Your opportunity to be a part of Moraine Park’s spring boot camp program is here!

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Join us on Monday, September 10, 2018 from 6:00 to 9:00 pm for a FREE Business Tax Seminar!

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When it comes to once in a lifetime opportunities, JP Jesion of Fond du Lac knows firsthand how rare they are to come by.

“I came from a self-defeating lifestyle, but I was searching for something more,” Jesion said. “When I walked through the doors of Moraine Park Technical College, I was ready for a new beginning.”

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On Thursday, June 14, 2018, nine Six Sigma Green Belt candidates representing 4 local manufacturing companies presented their final projects and received their certifications. The graduation ceremony took place on the Moraine Park Technical College Fond du Lac Campus with business representatives, sponsors and project champions present.

Participants completed 88 hours of training over 6 months, and additional time working on their independent project work collecting and analyzing data to improve products, processes and reduce waste. The return on investment from these projects resulted in over $536,000 – an average of $60,000 per company, with opportunity to continue saving as the projects are fully implemented and scaled.

Six Sigma Green Belt certification programs are suited for individuals who are expected to work with process improvement initiatives. Though the use of the DMAIC (define, measure, analyze, improve, control) process, participants will apply the skills and tools learned to their workplace project. To learn more about Six Sigma Green Belt, click here.