“When the recession hit Waukesha County businesses, the Waukesha County Business Alliance (WCBA) coordinated a meeting of company leaders in the county to develop some direction the group could take to help area employers,” says Mary Baer, director of membership development.

While all businesses were concerned about creating demand and readjusting to the new economy, the most resounding challenge they faced was access to a workforce that was work-ready. “The number one complaint about new hires is they aren’t ready for work after graduation, they simply don’t understand work,” she says.

While WCBA focused on the high school level, similar scenarios can be found at the technical college, university and even graduate school levels. Simply put, there is help out there to ramp up today’s workforce; it’s just a matter of asking for it.

“There is a bit of an awareness issue,” says John Chenoweth, associate professor of Information Technology at the College of Business and Economics at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.

“Whitewater and other state universities offer outreach programs that can help employers get the training they need in specific areas. In Integrated Technology, we have developed two online certificate programs — one in Web design and development and another in project management — that have specific components that teach students the skills they need to converse with technical experts in that field. Our certificate programs offer the ability to learn how to do a specific skill, or to know enough about the technical aspects of it that they can direct the work,” he says.

Creating training awareness

The WCBA further realized that manufacturing jobs were getting a bum rap in the media, and area high school students were instead encouraged to take college-bound courses, says Baer. To counteract that, the group organized a field tour of area manufacturing facilities for school superintendents. “It opened their eyes to the needs of employers and what the schools needed to do to better prepare students for the types of jobs that are offered,” Baer says.

The superintendent meeting soon transformed into a tour for educators and finally parents and students.

“Tour attendees soon realized there was no need to reinvent the wheel. The Manufacturing Technical Center at Waukesha County Technical College offers courses that teach these skills as well as work culture skills, such as the importance of showing up to work on time. That can be a foreign concept to potential employees just out of school,” she says.

Based on what it learned, the City of Waukesha School District revamped its technical program to include two classes that expose students to skills critically needed by today’s local manufacturers: metric conversion, sampling methods and mathematics for quality measurement and control; and a class that familiarizes students with the variety of materials used in manufacturing processes. “There has been high interest in these courses. They are based on real-world exposure for students,” says Baer.

Developing programs

Janet Newman, dean of the Service & Health Division at Mid-State Technical College, says the college works closely with employers to assure the programs it offers train  students in the skills they need for today’s jobs. “Like the other 14 technical colleges in the state of Wisconsin, we are set up to respond to workforce development needs in health, technology and businesses. We are closely aligned with the communities we serve,” she says.

Technical colleges continually review the curriculum they offer and will adapt, expand or reduce the content and class capacity, based on demand and insight from area employers.

“Before an education program is created, it goes through a rigorous review process, which can go quickly. We document the jobs available for the program, wages of the graduates and the financial feasibility of adding the program. Once a program is in place, an advisory committee of employers and of those who perform those jobs review the curriculum to make sure it is current and relevant. For example, they assess present equipment and suggest equipment upgrades for programs. They also assess the results of new employee performance reviews to assure graduates are adequately trained for these types of jobs and to identify new or unmet needs,” she explains.

Newman says health care training is one of the most expensive curricula to develop and deliver. “Unlike other disciplines, the health care curricula is consistent across the state and has a lower student-to-teacher ratio than other fields for clinical training, which drives up costs. For example, the nursing program is developed collaboratively with faculty and advisors, and we look to the results of the state’s nursing license exam to assure students are being trained to meet health care needs,” she says.

New programs are possible, and Newman says Mid-State Technical College readily partners with employers to develop the curriculum, recruit and select instructors and provide clinical or on-the-job experience.

“Initially, Marshfield Clinic approached us to provide entry level training that we subsequently developed into the clinical research coordinator associate degree,” she says.

The online program allows those workers seeking accreditation to complete educational requirements while working full-time. “It is only one of a handful of programs available in the country and it is gaining national attention and recognition. Anyone in the nation can tap into it,” she says.

Consider certificate training

As job skills evolve and online training grows, the technical college and four-year universities are adapting present coursework into shorter programs that can offer non-credit certification in specific areas.

“If an employer is looking to develop a skills package in a certain area, the four-year programs often can develop a training certificate or session out of a graduate course we already offer,” says Chenoweth. These courses are typically online and can be developed into segments that break down various aspects of the subject. From there, the student — or employer — can select the components that meet their needs.

If an area of coursework isn’t available as a certificate program, Chenoweth recommends contacting the outreach center of a nearby campus.

“For example, Whitewater has seven outreach centers that allow businesses to tap into all sorts of university resources to help businesses or train employees. If we can’t help you directly, I am confident we can redirect you to someone who can,” he says.

“We and other state universities are able to develop certificate programs that allow us to be more nimble and quickly deliver the desired training. Unlike a for-credit, degree program, development and execution of a certificate program is a short process. If you are a medium-sized employer with a specific training need, this could be a very good way to handle it,” Chenoweth says.

Looking for help

Employers looking to upgrade present employees’ skills or find potential employees with the latest training can look first to the technical college and university training arena, the experts advise.

We can develop longer term programs in addition to certificate programs,” says Newman. “That can be as simple as contacting the college and explaining your workforce training needs. From there, we will further research the idea and see if it’s a viable program. If it is, we initiate the development process, which takes about a year if it’s a degree program. If it’s a certificate program, it takes even less time.

“Degrees take more of a financial investment so we must get it into our budget, which can be very challenging in this budget environment, but not impossible. We get very creative in how to fund and staff these positions to teach these classes,” says Newman.

One component of technical college program development is establishing career and educational pathways. “We work with our four-year partners to create optimal transferability of associate degree credit into bachelor’s programs,” Newman says.

“The advent of robotics, automated presses and other high-technology equipment requires this training. As Baby Boomers enter into retirement, the door is opening for young people to get good family-supporting jobs. Even though manufacturing’s gross domestic product has increased, the number of employees in manufacturing has decreased. But the jobs are very much there. Employers are looking for high-caliber job candidates for these jobs. We don’t need to reinvent the wheel, it’s a matter of tapping into what’s already in place,” says Baer. 

By Clair Urbain

Clair Urbain of Urbain Communications provides marketing services to a variety of business-to-business clients in Wisconsin and across the country.

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