Advanced Manufacturing Grant comes to Fruition 

Like so many other industries and businesses that have gone through dramatic changes in the last few years, the manufacturing industry is no different. The transformations occurring in this industry require workers to have advanced academic, workplace, and technical skills in order to be competitive in the current market. Budget cuts due to rising health care and other costs limit the resources available to train incumbent workers. The Northwest Wisconsin Workforce Investment Board, Inc. (NWWIB, Inc.) secured grant funding to address needs of the northwest region. The Wisconsin Industry Partnership Advanced Manufacturing grant provided employers, incumbent workers, and dislocated workers with training sessions on their worksites and at technical college campuses throughout the ten counties in the northwest region.

The courses provided through the grant focused on the specific needs of businesses in the manufacturing industry. After a series of surveys and meetings over six months, industry representatives identified common issues and needs. The courses were then designed around the general and specific concerns of the employers who participated. Ashland Industries, one of the regional businesses that participated in the program, was able to have ten incumbent workers trained in blue print reading and math skills.

"The course was tailored to what we needed," said Carol Lindsey, Vice President of Engineering and Production at Ashland Industries. "We were able to use one of our blue prints as an example so our workers could actually see what they would be working with. Blue print reading is useful because it allows us to take in more custom fabrication work."

Customized courses, other than Blue Print Reading, were also offered. These ranged from Principles of Lean Manufacturing, Critical Core Manufacturing Skills, High Performance Manufacturing, and others which provided workers with the training needed in order to be competitive and innovative in the industry. More than half of the individuals who participated in the sessions stated that they used their new training daily. The training providers for this grant included the University of Wisconsin-Stout, NWMOC (Northwest Wisconsin Manufacturing Outreach Center), Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College (WITC) campuses, and Northcentral Technical College (NTC) campuses.

"I base my training on two elements: team work and who is the customer," said Leon Gasek, a NTC instructor involved in the grant trainings. "One individual from my class went back to their place of employment and emphasized these elements to their employees and the amount of end of line rework was significantly reduced."

Aside from the practical skills learned at the sessions, many of the workers completed the training sessions with much more. A large majority of workers felt a personal sense of accomplishment and that their employability was increased. Others thought they came away from the training with a new confidence in their abilities and job performance.Dave Gustafson and Kurt Pupp, welders from Ashland Industries, both attended a Blue Print Reading course at WITC in Ashland and had a positive experience. Both Gustafson and Pupp stated they learned a lot about print reading and that the instructor did a good job.

While the training of incumbent workers was a key component of the grant, another important grant focus was the training of dislocated and unemployed workers. Over the next ten years, the northwest Wisconsin region is expected to have job growth in the manufacturing sector that is higher than both the state and national levels. Dislocated workers who were able to take advantage of grant-sponsored training opportunities went away from the courses with skills and knowledge that will give them an extra edge when seeking employment. All of the dislocated workers who participated in the grant evaluation survey are now employed.

"The grant was key for us," said Tom Cavallin, Operations Manager at Genesis in Superior. "We've now set up the lean processes we needed and are ready to start hiring again."

For more information, visit the Northwest Wisconsin Workforce Investment Board, Inc.'s website at www.nwwib.com.