In an effort to help combat the skilled worker shortage, Moraine Park Technical College offers Manufacturing Skills Academy Boot Camps–a unique opportunity to gain entry-level skills. The two boot camps–Computer Numerical Control (CNC) and Welding–are tuition-free, 3-month long programs.

In addition to skill development, the boot camps include a 144-hour paid internship to get hands-on experience that ideally turns into a full-time job opportunity. Moraine Park partners with businesses all over their district area to offer paid internships to the students in the program. Wabash National has been a valued partner since the boot camp’s induction in 2012.

“The need for welders at Wabash is constant,” Nate Glancer, HR business partner at Wabash National, said. “We are working against a talent pool that has been shrinking steadily over the past decade. People that have been with us for 40-plus years are retiring, and as they are leaving, we are having a tough time filling those spots. Welders are a main component of what we do here; making up about 70 percent of our workforce, which is why this boot camp program is so vital to us.”

Since 2012, the boot camp programs have had over 400 participants. One of those participants, Elise Winkel, found life-changing success after completing the welding boot camp in 2019.

After earning a bachelor’s degree in vocal performance and taking several art classes, Winkel, a stay-at-home mom of four girls, thought the welding boot camp would be a good fit for her.

“Welding is very much an art, and you have to be able to work well with both hands a the same time,” Winkel said. “The boot camp was a little out of my comfort zone, and I was the only woman in my class, but I felt comfortable with the gradual pace of the program, and it is one of the best decisions I have ever made.”

Winkel completed her internship at Wabash and stayed on full-time after the boot camp’s completion as an inside seam welder. Because of this career change, Winkel and her husband decided to have another child and bought a home together.

“About 93% of our boot camp graduates found jobs,” Kelli Karpinski, MPTC economic workforce development business development manager, said. “The best part is that these once unskilled manufacturing participants start out making $23/hr or more, and more often than not, they advance very quickly.”

The boot camps are free for participants, thanks to financial support from community resource partners and the Workforce and Training (WAT) grants.

To learn more about Moraine Park’s Manufacturing Skills Academy Boot Camps, contact bootcamps@morainepark.edu.

Moraine Park hosted a Criminal Justice Exploration event for local high schoolers today, Oct. 6, at the Fond du Lac campus. Students from Fond du Lac, Winnebago Lutheran Academy, Oakfield, North Fond du Lac, Beaver Dam, Manitowoc Lutheran, Germantown, and Slinger were in attendance.

“Criminal Justice is a broad service field with a vast number of career pathways for students to explore,” Latisha Spence-Brookens, Moraine Park associate dean of human services, said. “The purpose of the event is to bring awareness to the career opportunities that students can pursue right here within the Moraine Park District with the hope we will be the educational option of choice. In addition, partnering with local agencies sets the stage for the recruitment of local talent, while putting a face to professionals that have committed to seeing the industry progress through relationship building, education, and community involvement.”

The College partnered with criminal justice agencies and departments throughout Moraine Park’s district to provide various hands-on demonstrations for students including a WRAP restraint technique, taser deployment and removal, drone surveillance technology, a K9 apprehension, and more.

“The success of today’s event is a tribute to the strong partnership that exists between Moraine Park Technical College and the many agencies who participated today,” Barb Jascor, Moraine Park dean of health and human services, said.

Jason Walters, Criminal Justice and U.S. History teacher at Fond du Lac High School, attended the event with his students.

“I think this is a beneficial event for everyone involved,” Walters said. “There is a workforce shortage in all areas, including criminal justice. Many of my students have gone on to pursue careers in this field, and an event like this breaks down barriers and allows students a chance to see first-hand all the different opportunities and points of entry into the field.”

Stephanie Martinez, a junior at Fond du Lac High School, tried on riot gear and spoke with Officer Leisure from the Wisconsin Department of Corrections about the tactical unit team.

“I came today because I wanted to learn more about the career field and to see what was out there,” Martinez said. “I had no idea there were so many options, and it was really interesting to try on all of the equipment and see the demonstrations up close. Learning about the tactical unit and how they work in hostage situations opened my eyes to all the different opportunities in criminal justice.”

Participating agencies included the Dodge County Sheriff’s Office, Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Office, Green Lake County Sheriff’s Office, Marquette County Sheriff’s Office, Fond du Lac Police Department, North Fond du Lac Police Department, Oakfield Police Department, Ripon Police Department, Waupun Police Department, Wisconsin State Patrol, Department of Corrections–Taycheedah and Dodge County corrections institutions, and Washington County Probation and Parole.

Learn more about Moraine Park’s Criminal Justice program at morainepark.edu/academics/programs/criminal-justice/.

View more photos at https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjAa1GX.

Moraine Park Technical College hosted a Community Forum on Sept. 15 regarding the College’s referendum in the November election. The forum took place both virtually and on the College’s Fond du Lac campus.

The Moraine Park Technical College District Board passed a resolution in June stating an intent to borrow $55 million to enhance campus learning spaces to meet future student and regional workforce needs through four projects across Moraine Park campuses and communities. In August, the Board approved the final ballot language, allowing the College to move forward with a referendum in the November election. Under state law, technical colleges must hold referendums before completing capital projects with a cost of more than $1.5 million.

Moraine Park’s Community Forums are an opportunity for the public to ask questions and learn more about the referendum. Moraine Park President Bonnie Baerwald presented about the referendum, and the forum ended with a Q&A. 

“Education is the key to economic growth in any community,” President Baerwald said. “Workforce growth is what will change our community. As a tech college, we are the change agents–a referendum is a way to make change and growth happen at a time when technology and automation is influencing industry so rapidly.”

The College will soon host Community Forums on the Beaver Dam and West Bend campuses. See the dates below.

• West Bend – September 26, 11:45 – 12:45 p.m.; 2151 N. Main St.
• Beaver Dam – October 3, 9 – 10 a.m.; 700 Gould St.

Learn more about the referendum at morainepark.edu/future.

Moraine Park introduced a new Financial and Insurance Services Specialist associate degree program this fall 2022 semester. The program is a unique opportunity at Moraine Park that focuses on both finance and insurance.

“This program is a great starting point for students who want to explore careers in the fields of insurance or finance. The program is designed to help learners continue their education beyond their Associate degree,” Deb Clarke, Moraine Park associate dean of business and IT, said. 

The program prepares students to obtain industry-recognized credentials required within the financial and insurance industries, including the Series 6, Nationwide Multistate Licensing System (NMLS), and insurance. Students will also gain an understanding of regulatory standards related to Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), lending practices, client relationship management, marketing and brand management with cutting-edge technology, and insurance lines.

“We wanted to provide our graduates a broad knowledge base to efficiently and collaboratively work across specialized teams,” Bobbi Fields, Moraine Park dean of applied technology and trades, said. “Locally, there are numerous jobs available across our entire district, with anticipated growth of at least 9 percent over the next 10 years, but this is only a snapshot of opportunities available. Our graduates may also wish to pursue the many remote and virtual options available to graduates of the program.”

Graduates of this program will be prepared to help clients navigate the complex and evolving worlds of finance and insurance. They may find employment as a certified financial planner, customer service representative, financial advisor, insurance sales agent, loan processor, personal banker, and more.

Learn more about the program at morainepark.edu/academics/programs/financial-and-insurance-services-specialist/.

The Moraine Park Technical College District Board voted to approve the final ballot language Wednesday, allowing the College to move forward with a $55 million referendum in the November election. 

The referendum would allow Moraine Park to borrow funds to update and expand Moraine Park facilities to meet the needs of business and industry in the region through four major projects between 2022 and 2025. 

• Advanced Manufacturing and Trades – Fond du Lac County – Enhancement 
• Manufacturing, Automation and Robotics Lab – Washington County – Expansion 
• Fire Training Facility – Location TBD – New Construction 
• Health and Human Services Facility – Fond du Lac County – Enhancement 

“Education is the key to economic growth in any community,” Bonnie Baerwald, Moraine Park president, said. “Workforce growth is what will change our community, and as a technical college, we are the change agents. This referendum is vital to making change and growth happen at a time when technology and automation are influencing industry so rapidly.”  

Moraine Park intends to update and expand facilities to: 

• Respond to the growing workforce shortages.  
• Accommodate evolving industry expectations.  

• Address evolving technology, including in the areas of automation and robotics.  
• Provide greater access to all district communities.  
• Align with community expectations and workforce training requirements.  
• Prepare students and workforces of the future.  

The funding request by MPTC is spread out across the four major district counties, making the financial impact per taxpayer minimal; the adjustments are not permanent, making the impact a temporary adjustment for taxpayers. Under the proposed $55 million facilities enhancement plan, annual property taxes would increase by .21 cents per $1,000 of property value or $21 per $100,000 of property value ($1.75 per month) for no more than 20 years.  

“We need to invest in this kind of growth either way,” Jim Eden, Moraine Park vice president of teaching and learning, said. “If a referendum passes, we will accelerate Moraine Park’s ability to grow by about 15 years. If it does not, it will take the College 15 years to catch up.”  

Under state law, technical colleges must hold referendums before completing capital projects with a cost of more than $1.5 million. The referendum must earn a majority vote across all four major district counties, which include Dodge, Fond du Lac, Green Lake and Washington. 

For more information on this project, visit morainepark.edu/future. 

Moraine Park Technical College will survey a random sampling of homes in the district starting April 8. The goal of the survey is to help the College obtain input on future business and industry needs within the district, and the growth and improvements that are required to help meet those needs.

The Moraine Park district includes Dodge, Fond du Lac, Green Lake and Washington counties, and small portions of surrounding counties. The College, with campus locations in Beaver Dam, Fond du Lac, and West Bend, plays a critical role in training more than 12,000 students each year for industry-critical jobs. Moraine Park students pursue degrees in many high-demand areas, including information technology, cybersecurity, accounting, nursing, respiratory therapy, advanced manufacturing, and website and graphic design.

“Our focus will always be on educating our students. However, we also need to develop a plan to update our programs and facilities to continue to fuel the growing business and industry sector,” Bonnie Baerwald, Moraine Park president, said. “Our programs are dependent on our facilities to offer hands-on training and real-world learning opportunities. To help in our planning, we formed the Capital Expansion Visioning Team and developed a survey to gather the input from our communities; their feedback and support are vital to the success of this future planning.”

Those who are randomly selected should reply by April 25.

Final survey results will be reported at Moraine Park Technical College board meeting on May 18.

For more information, visit morainepark.edu/future.

For questions on the survey, call 920-929-2127.

Moraine Park Technical College has distributed over $8,000 in its third round Non-Traditional Occupations (NTO) grants. Last spring, the College started this initiative to benefit high school classrooms and encourage students to explore non-traditional career options. Non-traditional occupations are defined as careers that currently employ 25% or less of one gender. 

High schools within Moraine Park’s district are eligible to participate in the grant program. Currently, partnerships are being formed to help influence the NTO exploration of skilled trade, health care, and early childhood occupations. 

“It’s important to us that we introduce high school students to careers early on,” Ruback said. “There is such a high need for skilled workers, and our goal is to help fill the gaps in our local industries. Students who have the opportunity to take college credit classes in high school benefit in many ways; it’s more cost-effective, and they help develop life skills to be more self-sufficient and well-rounded adults.”

The fall 2021 grant cycle awarded West Bend District High Schools with funding used to purchase a shaken baby simulator, welding materials and nursing assistant materials; Waupun High School with medical and anatomy equipment; Fond du Lac High School with equipment for criminal justice and automotive training; Slinger High School with nursing assistant equipment, North Fond du Lac with a shaken baby simulator; and, Campbellsport High School with nursing assistant equipment.

“This has been such a powerful opportunity for us because we can help benefit the career path of our students before they are in college,” Ruback said. “The NTO grant money is awarded directly into the teacher’s classrooms and provides reimbursement toward the purchase of materials, supplies, textbooks, software applications, or equipment to enhance the dual credit learning environments.”

Moraine Park’s district schools interested in exploring dual credit options should connect with the K-12 Department at k12@morainepark.edu. 

Moraine Park Technical College has partnered with Legal Action of Wisconsin and Ascendium Education Group to offer students and community members free, confidential legal assistance. Upcoming virtual legal clinics provide driver’s license recovery, bankruptcy, and criminal record expungement help. Other legal help is also provided at any time. Simply scan the QR code or call (920) 393-9352 and set up your time to discuss a legal issue!

Lawyers for Learners is also offering a free tax season tips learning session on February 10, 2022, at 11 a.m.

Tax season is quickly approaching. Lawyers for Learners wants to help ensure you have the information needed to prepare taxes and take advantage of any eligible benefits or credits. This Lawyers for Learners Learning Session is meant to do just that!

Attorneys Andrew Belter from Wisconsin Judicare and Jay Miller from Legal Action Wisconsin will provide information about taxes, tax credits, and self-help resources. They will also share information about how Lawyers for Learners can help with family law, immigration, or other issues that may arise during tax season (or anytime).

Join on February 10, 2022, at 11 a.m. CST and register using the link below. https://www.accelevents.com/e/l4ltaxseasontips.

Learn more about Lawyers for Learners at www.lawyersforlearners.org. Reach out to Legal@AscendiumEducation.org with any questions.

Written by Kathy Mueller, Moraine Park Adult Education Instructor

At this time of very low unemployment and a major shortage of workers, many adults who didn’t complete high school wonder why they would go back to earn a high school credential. They can often get a job pretty easily anywhere they want to work. That might be true for getting their foot in the door of a company. However, many are learning that if they want to earn more and move up in their companies, they still have to get a high school credential. One of my students did just that.

Time for a Change

Lester was my former student at the Beaver Dam Student Success Center at Moraine Park Technical College. He worked for about 30 years at his company, but without a high school diploma, he was never able to move to a higher-level position or substantially increase his pay. Lester was not only ready to earn his high school diploma to make an upward move at his company, but he also wanted to show his son that a high school diploma was important enough to be worth the hard work he would have to put in to earn it.

Heading Back to School

Lester was like so many other returning adults. He wasn’t very comfortable when he first started, and he was pretty unsure of his skills. One thing he had in his favor was his willingness to work as much as it took to understand the materials. Today we call that grit, and he is full of grit! Lester was able to get through Language Arts, Science, and Social Studies pretty quickly with relative ease. But math? That was a different story. Lester studied math for months. Months turned into years. Every spring, summer, and fall semester for three entire years! In May of 2018, he finished. I was so happy for him. We were all very excited when he and his son got their high school diplomas at the same time.

An Awesome New Opportunity

Lester has kept in touch with me since he graduated. He contacts me on every holiday and sometimes in between to update me about himself and his family. In the Spring of 2021, he told me a position opened up at his workplace. He was nervous but excited about the possibility of making a change at work. Lester knew his High School Equivalency Diploma (HSED) made him eligible for this new opportunity. I was very excited when he notified me of his promotion to Warehouse Dock Lead Supervisor position. What great recognition of all the loyalty and hard work Lester gave his company for so many years!

The Diploma Changed His Life!

Last week Lester texted me between holidays. He wanted me to know that since he earned his diploma three and a half years ago, great things happened. He earned a promotion to Warehouse Dock Lead Supervisor. Because he just received a raise, he is now making over $5 an hour more than he had been making without his HSED. We joked about him using all the extra money he was making now to help pay for his son’s college tuition. Lester thanked me for my help in pushing him to keep going. I can’t help but think I should be thanking him for getting to work with an awesome student like him. All I can say is that Lester exemplifies all the reasons a person would want to earn a high school credential. Look at the success all the hard work and grit has brought him!

Moraine Park’s Adult Education opportunities serve adults ages 18-65+ who are seeking to improve their academic skills to obtain or improve their employment, earn a high school credential (GED/HSED), and prepare for college. Students may also work to improve their English language skills and get assistance with their college courses. Learn more about Moraine Park’s Adult Education programs at www.morainepark.edu/academics/ged-and-adult-education/.