NorthCentral Wisconsin WDB Dislocated Worker Program Participant Student Profile: Brenda Cichon-- Non-Traditional Occupational Training - Welding
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Hello. My name is Brenda Cichon. I am a 45-year-old mother of six children and grandmother of one grandson. After working for a Central Wisconsin window company for 13 years, I was permanently laid off on August 28, 2008. My husband, John, lost his job at the same time. Both
lay-offs were due to the economic downturn.
Since then, our whole lives have changed. We both are taking classes at Northcentral Technical College in the Welding program. It is the best thing that has ever happened to us. I started slowly, having been out of school for 25 years. I was a little rusty, and I needed to brush up on my math and reading skills to pass the placement test. After just two months of study, I was ready. I passed the Accuplacer test and was accepted onto the wait-list for the Welding program. In order to be considered a full-time student, I enrolled in Microsoft Office Level 1, Industrial Math, Keyboarding and Ten Key, and a communications class.
The following semester, I enrolled in the Welding program. Women in welding are considered to be in a non-traditional occupation. Having learned all different kinds of welding, blueprint reading, metallurgy, and automated classes, I enjoy welding more and more every day. We have made a lot of fun things on the CNC plasma cutter, including holiday decorations that we sold to make money for our Welding Club. The Club earned about $1,500 for their work. Women do very well in welding and enjoy it. I was proud of myself for how well I had done.
I hope to see more women enter the welding profession in the near future. In the near future the demand for welders will be great, and welders make good money. There is no such thing as a "man's world" anymore; it is a woman's/man's world, and I love it. I have a wonderful female instructor who does a fantastic job. My cousin and a friend are welders, and they both love their work. I know women who are enrolled in the Machine Tool program as well, another non-traditional occupation for females. Remember, if women put their minds to it, they can do anything. ~ Brenda Cichon |
A New Computer Skills Center Opens in Pewaukee
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Jerome Herbst (instructor) assists WIA Dislocated Worker Kathy Dicks.
 | A Computer Skills Center (CSC) opened at the Pewaukee Workforce Development Center in December 2007 in response to dislocated workers' needs for basic computer skills training as identified by staff. The Center is open to dislocated workers and offers a free Computer Literacy course that covers the basics of Windows XP and Vista operating systems, keyboarding, word processing, creating spreadsheets, establishing an E-mail account, and using the Internet. The Computer Skills Center is funded jointly by Waukesha County Technical College and the WOW-Workforce Development, Inc.
Employment Specialists working with Workforce Investment Act (WIA) participants stress to their clients the necessity of computer skills in finding another job since most employers rely on technology to recruit new hires. The basic instruction provided in the CSC enables students to search job posting websites as well as company websites, research companies to prepare for interviews, complete online job applications, send electronic resumes and communicate with potential employers via email. Individuals who have basic computer skills are better equipped to utilize the various resources and workshops offered within the Workforce Development Center, such as JobNet, Emailing Resumes and Cover Letters, Resume Lab, and LinkedIn. Basic computer skills also enable individuals to take advantage of the retraining opportunities that may be available to them through WIA funds. With their unemployment compensation "clock" ticking, individuals need to gain as many computer skills as quickly as possible in order to obtain a job or be ready for the classroom. The CSC provides just-in-time instruction that assists individuals in pursuing their occupational/educational goals.
Each person's level of computer literacy is assessed during the first visit to the CSC. Skill levels range from a beginner learner who may have never used a computer, to more experienced students who may just require word processing help to format a resume.
The resources of the CSC include individual assistance from the instructors, computer software and Internet tutorials, and supplemental textbook and handouts. The Center is open-entry open-exit. Students who require only a small amount of help can come for only a few hours while many others come several times a week until they find a job. Jerry Herbst and Luann Dodge are the two part-time instructors, both of whom are experienced with providing help to fundamental computer users. Students taking advantage of the resources go on to take college courses, make a career change and/or conduct a job search.
In the first year of operation the center was open 20 hours/week and served 493 individuals. In 2009, the enrollment increased to a total of 789 individuals. Due to the high demand, the hours of operation were increased from 20 hours per week to the current 25 hours. Students express appreciation for the opportunity to attend free computer basics training, acknowledging thattheir newly developed skills have not only enabled them to re-enter the workforce, but also led to an increased level of confidence to make career changes, attend college or obtain a higher-paying job. |
| Wondering What the Public Has to Say About Workforce Development Boards and Their Services? |
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The Wisconsin Workforce Devopment Association has collected a number of 1-2 minute testimonials from employers, workers, and youth about their experiences with the Workforce Boards and the enormous impact on their lives. You can now view them on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/WIWorkforceDevtAssoc |
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Members of the Wisconsin Workforce Development Association (WWDA) visited with a number of state legislators during their Day at the Capitol in February. During our discussions we provided ARRA data and stories and answered the many questions we received about the state of the workforce in Wisconsin.
