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14 | /INSIGHT ON MANUFACTURING • Januar y 2015 w w w.in s i g h t o n m f g . c o m WITH AB OUT 40 PERCENT OF jobs connected to manufacturing and related support industries, educators and company leaders in Sheboygan County know it's time to confront the skills gap head-on. at's why the Sheboygan School District and area manufacturing leaders are collaborating on Red Raider Manufacturing, a new initiative to boost tech-ed offerings at Sheboygan North and South high schools. Mike Trimberger, principal of Sheboygan South, says the Red Raider Manufacturing program will be modeled aer the district's health care and computer science pathways, which connect classroom work with real-world job application. ese programs have shown success with community partners such as Lakeshore Healthcare Alliance, Prevea Health Care, Aurora Health Care and Acuity. e school district is working with local manufacturing companies including Rockline Industries, e Vollrath Company, Kohler Co. and E D U C AT I O N & T R A I N I N G Collaborative quest Sheboygan School District, manufacturers partner on boosting tech ed offerings BY NIKKI KALLIO Bemis Manufacturing to launch the Red Raider Manufacturing program, which proposes about $1.58 million in capital investment for upgrades and equipment to outfit North and South high schools. e goal is to increase by 50 percent both the number of graduates employed by industry partners and graduates who enter technical college. e district has been shaping the pathway for the past three years or so, Trimberger says. "We've been able to use some of the success with health care and with our computer science program to go to our local manufacturers and say, 'Hey, we have a model. We have something that'll be successful — are you willing to help us create this?'" Representatives of four of the larger manufacturers, Vollrath, Kohler, Bemis and Rockline, have been working with the district to develop the new curriculum, which is set to begin next fall with classes such as blueprint reading and "We've been able to use some of the success with health care and with our computer science program to go to our local manufacturers and say, 'Hey, we have a model. We have something that'll be successful – are you willing to help us create this?'" – Mike Trimberger, principal of Sheboygan South High School