providers, to develop innovative training programs that are employer-defined. As of late April, the program has awarded approximately $2.6 million in awards, including 24 awards to manufacturing businesses. Earlier this year, Wisconsin approved a $35.4 million ex- pansion of the Wisconsin Fast Forward program as part of my Blueprint for Prosperity to deliver tax relief and increase our investment in worker training. This expansion targets areas such as decreasing wait lists in high-demand fields at the Wisconsin Technical College System.
In Wisconsin, we also increased our investment in Wis-
consin’s model apprenticeship programs, both the first-in- the-nation Registered Apprenticeship program, and the Youth Apprenticeship that began two decades ago. Wisconsin’s Registered Apprenticeship program has seen a rebirth in the last several years, with the number of ap- prentices increasing steadily since 2010. Among the trades that have seen the greatest increase are machinists, which have grown nearly 50%, and tool and die makers, which have grown by 70% over the same time frame. The State of Wisconsin has put a renewed focus on ap- prenticeship, recognizing that apprentices result in loyal and highly-trained workers in a variety of professions. The Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development (DWD) embarked on an outreach initiative to employers and prospective apprentices, raising awareness of the opportunities that exist and highlight- ing the benefits of apprenticeship. For many students, appren- ticeship provides an alternative to a four-year education, during which apprentices can earn a wage at the same time they’re receiving training in one of more than 200 professions. Wisconsin’s Youth Apprenticeship is another program that has seen success in Wisconsin. In this nationally-recognized program, high school juniors and seniors can spend 450 hours per school year learning in-demand skills like CNC ma- chining and welding. As of the current school year, nearly 500 high school juniors and seniors are enrolled in the manufac- turing program area, where they can specialize in assembly, manufacturing processes, welding, or machining. The Wisconsin Youth Apprenticeship program enrolled the first high school students in 1992 and has been steadily growing over the last several years. Today it enrolls more than 2100 students, who are placed at more than 1500 Wisconsin employers. Over the last five years, the average graduation rate has exceeded 80%, with 60% of youth apprenticeship graduates completing a post-secondary degree.
One example is Anthony Thao, a senior at Bradley Tech High School in Milwaukee who participates in a youth appren- ticeship at Matzel Manufacturing. Anthony currently works in Quality Control, checking, inspecting, and clearing parts that are machined on the production floor. He hopes to work full- time at Matzel once he graduates from high school and will pursue a bachelor’s degree in business management from a local university.
Governor Scott Walker meets with students at the Cardinal Manufacturing program at Eleva-Strum High School, Wisconsin.
Another Wisconsin program that has taken training to the next level is Cardinal Manufacturing, which is operated by the Eleva-Strum school district. Teacher Craig Cegielski realized that for his program to be successful, he would need to iden- tify a funding source to cover maintenance costs, tooling, and consumable materials. So he created Cardinal Manufacturing, a two-period class that follows several preparatory metalwork- ing classes. Students are responsible for all aspects of operat- ing a machine shop.
The program has found a unique niche by taking on small jobs that would not be profitable for manufacturing busi- nesses, completing the jobs and providing students with a steady supply of work. Area manufacturers have embraced the program and have donated a number of CNC machines and other equipment, recognizing that today’s Cardinal Manu- facturing students could very well be their future
workforce.To learn more about the Wisconsin Fast Forward worker training program, visit
http://WisconsinFastForward.com. ME
July 2014 |
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