By Jason Kreul
timeseditor@tds.net
FENNIMORE — The 17th Annual Business and Education Summit was held on Friday, March 24, at Southwest Wisconsin Technical College, Fennimore, with a theme this year of “Strategic solutions to address employee shortages in Southwest Wisconsin.”
After a welcome from CESA 3 Agency Administrator Dr. Jamie Nutter, the summit was turned over to the keynote speaker, Matt Glowacki, DE&I (diversity, equity and inclusion) Director for the Wisconsin Society for Human Resource Management. Matt, author of the book, “Able-Bodied Like Me,” is a disability speaker and advocate who has spoken at hundreds of regional and national conventions.
His address, titled “Everybody’s Got Something,” stressed to employers to hiring and inclusion of disabled citizens in the workforce.
He opened his address with a modified saying by disability advocate, Verma Myers, “Diversity is being invited to the party. Inclusion is being asked to dance.” Matt has added, “Belonging is being the DJ....when dancing isn’t your thing.”
“Inclusion is important,” Glowacki stated, “Belonging gives those credibility and a stronger sense of value.”
Those with disabilities, Glowacki stressed are looking to join the workforce, which in turn would elevate the current worker shortage our area is experiencing. and as he stated “give people a chance to surprise you.”
Employers should be making their workplaces more accommodating to disabled employees such as for example, helping with transportation issues, as 83% of physical disabled potential workers lack a mode of transportation.
An update and introduction was also given from the three partners, SWTC, UW-Platteville and CESA 3, on the WIG (Workforce Innovation Grant ).
The grant, which emphasizes manufacturing and automation, main objectives are promoting educational pathways and job site upskill training, according to Holly Straka, WIG Coordinator at SWTC.
Through the grant, Straka stated that 518 employees in the area have received new training, 343 new employees were added and 68 have promoted thanks to the Workforce Grant.
Straka also stated that by Summer/Fall, they’re hoping to expand into safety training, a large manufacturing need, as well as bringing in industry experts for more specialized training such as cyber security.
Job ready new employees are needed in Southwest Wisconsin, as the area has seen a 1% decrease in population from 2010-2020, while other areas in the state have seen 4% increase according to Dr. Derek Dachelet, Executive Dean of SWTC.
That coupled with the mass of early retirements the manufacturing industry experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic, has increased demand for job ready employees Dachelet explained.
Dr. Jodi Prosise, Assistant Dean of the College of Engineering, Mathematics and Science at UW-Platteville, stated that the university’s goal is to “ensure every engineering student get hands-on activity in manufacturing automation.”
Prosise sated this made possible through the newly opened automation lab space in Sesquicentennial Hall on campus, and the university recently partnered with IBM, to begin “smart automation” training in addition to the hands on training.
Newly hired WIG Coordinator of CESA 3, Jessica Helms, emphasized the continuing effort of CESA 3 to increase youth apprenticeships in manufacturing.
Open to high school juniors and seniors, a youth apprenticeship, which comes at no cost to the students, provides on site job training with mentors, which provides those in the program related instruction, certifications and college credits (up to 12 credits for two year participants) as well as an hourly wage while taking part.
The program is open to all 31 school in the CESA 3 district, and Helms hoped that through the program, employers see the value of “preparing the net generation of their industry, creating their own talent pipeline, keep jobs in the area, and fill the workforce shortage gap.”
During the summit, representatives from employers K& A Greenhouse near Madison, Southwest Wisconsin Library System and Kwik Trip, Inc., took part in an moderator led panel shared experiences, practices and success stories of hiring those with disabilities and/or younger apprentice aged student workers.