Issue link: http://www.insightdigital.biz/i/484021
w w w.in s i g h t o n m f g . c o m March 2015 • /INSIGHT ON MANUFACTURING | 7 EDITOR'S NOTE | NIKKI KALLIO n k a l l i o @ i n s i g h t o n b u s i n e s s . c o m ASK MOST MANUFACTURERS IN THE NEW NORTH region about whether they are finding the skilled workers they need, and they will answer with a resounding "No!" at's why we believe it's important to say "Yes!" to Northeast Wisconsin Technical College's $66.5 million referendum planned for April 7. e proposed plans for expansion and renovation focus largely on NWTC's Trades & Engineering Technology programs, including expanding the college's Manufacturing & Engineering Center, adding a Great Lakes Energy Education Center and building more classrooms. It also will add to the school's public safety offerings and expand IT and digital arts and media programs. Is there some crossover in programs with Lakeshore Technical College or Fox Valley Technical College, which in 2012 passed a similar referendum? Sure. But all of Wisconsin's 16 technical colleges have the capacity to expand and still fill their offerings. NWTC research shows that at its current enrollment levels, the skilled labor needs of Northeast Wisconsin industry will outpace graduates by 903 students in the next decade or so. Area manufacturers are already poaching workers from each other and recruiting from technical colleges in Illinois when they can't find enough workers here (see Cover Story, page 8). It's time to expand capacity at NWTC to help grow and keep the workers that we need here. Building plans: A future workforce Some of those students are seeking IT education — NWTC launched a new soware development and maintenance education program that planned for 20 students and ended up with 40 in two sections. A recent NEW Manufacturing Alliance survey showed that IT professionals are among the most needed workers at manufacturing facilities in the region (see Back Office, page 18). In this issue, we've also sought comments from two state leaders with a stake in the right-to-work legislation signed into law on March 9 (see Insight From… page 20). Wisconsin is now the 25th state in the U.S. to allow private-sector employees to work at companies with unions without having to join the union or pay dues. Some believe the law will help Wisconsin become more competitive, others believe it will result in lower wages. Time will tell how the law impacts Wisconsin's economy and its workers. One thing we do know helps make Wisconsin stand out: its innovative companies. Insight is gearing up for its annual Technology & Human Innovation Networking Conference, planned from 3 to 6 p.m. May 19 at the James W. Perry Hall, UW-Fox Valley Communications Arts Center in Menasha. Our THINC! keynote is Daniel Barnett, owner of a Nevada-based speaking and consulting firm, Make or Break Execution, and CEO of e Primavera Co., a real estate and natural gas company. We're also announcing the Insight Innovation awards, recognizing companies that break through the status quo with disruptive ideas, building our economy by embracing innovation. We hope you'll join us. Visit www.insightonbusiness. com/2015-thinc to learn more — we'll see you there! F