WAUSAU, Wis. (WSAU) -- A special training program at Northcentral Technical College has graduated sixteen skilled welders. The program is a part of the Wisconsin Fast Forward initiative through the Department of Workforce Development, which is designed to help employers find people to fill high-tech jobs.
This particular class was a collaboration with NTC, some of the Wausau area metal fabrication industries, and the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. Chamber President Jorge Franco is President of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. He’s impressed by the success of the training program, and how the partnerships prepared these graduates for immediate high-skilled jobs. “We’ve got cohorts of 16 that graduate from each program, and that’s about the number that’s trained most effectively under one training instructor, who’s bringing them through where they’re actually burning metal and learning all of the aspects around life skills in addition to the technical skills training.”
Franco says the program teaches far more than just the welding skills manufacturers desperately need. It also covers other things important for keeping a job. “They are provided essential life skills training, including how to communicate effectively, the importance of showing up to work on time, financial access and financial education, the importance of solving transportation issues in order to make sure I can get to work on time, and a whole series of other life skills that are incorporated into the program, which the manufacturers have told us is the missing link.”
Franco says the manufacturers are struggling to find skilled workers, and they have the challenge of seeking and recruiting people into the training program. He says many in the Hispanic community struggle with trusting in the program after having other experiences in America, but they’re having success. “We’re overcoming those things by very proactive outreach and recruitment that goes on, all the way down to even in the faith-based community, with presentations made at the churches, after mass, a whole series of ways that we reach out to them to bring them and engage them into the training program.”
The partnership with the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and Northcentral Technical College is also getting support from some Wausau area manufacturers including Schuette Metals and Greenheck Fan Corporation.