| Manufacturing & Biotechnology Initiatives in Madison Area! |
Gerber Products in Reedsburg, Wisconsin is partnering with the Workforce Development Board of South Central Wisconsin to deliver Manufacturing Skill Standard Certification safety training to their employees.
Using a Performance Incentive Grant from the Workforce Development Board of South Central Wisconsin, Gerber has been able to certify one instructor and send three employees to the Manufacturing Skill Standard Certification (MSSC) safety module.
"The employees we have sent have been giving us great feedback-this training is really helping them to put together all the pieces of the puzzle and see how what they do impacts our entire system," said Raynelle Syftestad, Training and Development Specialist for Gerber. "Long term, we hope to be able to offer this to everyone."
The Workforce Development Board used a $25,000 grant from The Governor's Council on Workforce Investment to train faculty to deliver MSSC training and establish three testing sights. The first cohort of trainees includes the three Gerber employees.
"Having grant funds available for this training has been crucial," said Syftestad. "Being an Industry Partner with the Workforce Development Board has given us the opportunity to test this training and get opinions on it from our staff."
$85,000  Biotechnology Grant
The Workforce Development Board of South Central Wisconsin was awarded an Emerging Industry Skills Partnership grant of $85,000 to prepare 60 workers for rewarding careers in biotechnology and help meet the increasing demand for highly skilled workers in the region.
Secretary Gassman announced the grant during a visit to Third Wave Technologies, a molecular diagnostics firm developing products to detect human papillomavirus, or HPV, which can lead to cervical cancer. Joining her at the University Research Park location were representatives of other biotech firms and the leading partners in the training initiative, Pat Schramm from the Workforce Development Board of South Central Wisconsin and the Wisconsin Biotechnology and Medical Device Association (WBMDA).
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| Green Bay Promotes NEW Manufacturing Alliance, Partnerships with Department of Corrections! |
 NEW Manufacturing Alliance
The NEW Manufacturing Alliance is now a year old! It began in January 2007 with six area companies deciding to get together to address the shortage of skilled workers in the area manufacturing sector. Now it is 40 members and growing. Member companies pay dues that are used for workforce development efforts that will meet their needs. A number of initiatives are on-going including: a documentary, working with youth, and educational efforts - click here for more details!
The NEW Manufacturing Alliance recently was the subject of the lead article in a new quarterly publication called Insight on Manufacturing (www.insightonmfg.com) that goes out to 5,000 companies statewide. A sister publication, Insight on Business, has since followed.
Partnering with the Wisconsin Department of Corrections
The Bay Area Workforce Development Board and the Wisconsin Department of Corrections combine funding for the Windows to Work program in partnership with the Oshkosh Correctional Institution. This program serves as a bridge to promote successful reintegration for offenders returning to Green Bay, Manitowoc and Sheboygan. This program grew out of the old Workforce Attachment and Advancement (WAA) program and has provided services to 31 individuals in Program Year 2007 with solid success in meeting WIA performance goals.
Similarly the Bay Area Workforce Development Board funds Transitions, a reintegration program for youth returning from incarceration at the Lincoln Hills Juvenile Correctional Institution returning to the Bay Area. Fourteen young people have been enrolled in that program in Program Year 2007. Click here for further details..
Work Certified Pilot Programs
Work Certified is a 90 hour work readiness training program that has demonstrated phenomenal success in several states. It was developed by the Workforce Board of the Treasure Coast in Florida and is an employer-focused, employer driven curriculum for individuals lacking the basic tools for success in the workplace. The curriculum includes modules on reading and math as well as customer service, business knowledge, business writing, and job retention skills.
The need for this type of work readiness training was made apparent last fall when employers in the Marinette area rejected 76 of 100 applicants for a specialized training program called Basic Industrial Skills Training because they judged those applicants inadequately prepared for fulltime employment. Bay Area Workforce Development Board has purchased the license for this curriculum, described by the National Skills Standards Board as "the best program of its type in the country," and will be conducting three pilot programs in the Bay Area beginning May 27, 2008.
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