Moraine Park Talent Talk

Ann Franz, executive director of the Northeast Wisconsin Manufacturing Alliance (NEWMA), discusses the results of NEWMA's 2024 Industry 4.0 Talent & Technology Survey. Find out to what extent Northeast Wisconsin manufacturers are using Industry 4.0 digital technologies and what it means for companies' ability to compete in a global market.

When it comes to protecting your business from cyber attacks, it's not a matter of if but when. While you may never avoid a cyber attack, there are steps you can take mitigate fallout of such an attack. Hear from Moraine Park Cybersecurity Instructor Matthew Kelly, who outlines the top five ways to protect your data and your company. He also includes bonus content about cybersecurity insurance.

Safety Consultant and Trainer Peter Ullmer talked with us on a potpourri of OSHA topics, including discussion of the top safety violations during fiscal year 2023, how to prepare for an OSHA audit, and details on important 2024 updates to the OSHA rules. It's a podcast, safety leaders won't want to miss!

When leaders at Whisker's Juneau, WI, facility noticed team members were coming in late to work and not caring for themselves, difficult conversations revealed some team members were experiencing financial hardship. Listen to learn how leaders took action and why this company is an innovator in a people-first culture.

What is ALICE? How does poverty affect our workforce? Jo Ann Hall, dean of Economic and Workforce Development, joined us to discuss the extent of poverty in the Moraine Park district and how it impacts our local businesses and the workforce.  Our discussion focused around the ALICE report, a United Way study on the “the working poor”,  or people who are above the federal poverty line and working, but still can't make it day-to-day on their household budget.

If you were to form a city of all Wisconsinites who live in poverty, the city would be the largest in the State, even surpassing Milwaukee. In addition to the approximately 600,000 people who fit the official definition of impoverished are those who struggle financially, despite having incomes above the poverty level. Chad Dull, principal consultant and CEO of Poverty Informed Practice LLC, joined our Talent Talk to discuss how all of us can better serve individuals living in poverty. He also provides tips for employers looking for the “secret sauce” in reaching and retaining this talent pool. The conversation with Dull is the first in a series about how poverty affects our communities and workplaces.

Stress, burn-out, labor shortages, COVID pandemic, and financial concerns are all factors that are contributing to the perfect storm manifesting mental health issues in the workplace. Max Radcliffe of Aurora Health Care joins us to talk about this timely concern within many businesses, as well as how company and HR leaders can recognize symptoms, take action and destigmatize mental health in the workplace.

Bonnie Baerwald, President of Moraine Park Technical College, celebrated her 30th year at the college in spring 2023. As Bonnie reflected on the past 30 years, she talked about how the college has evolved over the past few decades, the college's most significant points of pride during her tenure, the college's opportunities and challenges, and what the future holds for MPTC and technical college education.

Adam Rupp, Co-founder and President of Fond du Lac's Wisconsin Lighting Lab, Inc, (WiLL), has been doing his part to help change the face of manufacturing. If you walk through the modern WiLL facility, you'll not only see production of its core product—high-output LED lighting, light poles and wireless lighting controls—but also the passions of Rupp and his team members: a garage for race cars, home brew equipment and musical instruments. MPTC sat down with Rupp for a candid discussion about his company, manufacturing's reputation and the future of manufacturing. We also discussed how an idea to document the knowledge of long-time employees while Rupp was interning in his dad's shop grew years later into WiLL's podcast, WiLLcast™, which keeps listeners up to date on WiLL, as well as Wisconsin happenings and innovations.

In the midst of the Great Resignation, a Gallup poll showed over 47 million people have quit their jobs. Plus, during this time, there are those who didn't leave but could definitely relate to the term – quiet quitting. Marla Stilwill, MPTC Human Resources Instructor, joined us to talk about this new workplace trend.

Cindy Collins, MPTC Leadership Development Instructor and Sue Roettger, EWD Leadership Instructor, joined us to talk about some of the challenges and trends they are seeing in the workplace that indicates leadership training is needed.

Jo Ann Hall, Dean of Economic & Workforce Development at MPTC, shares her experience with John Maxwell, the Maxwell Leadership Company and what you can expect when you attend this year's 2022 Live2Lead event.  John Maxwell is a top leadership expert in the field, has written over 86 books and has over 40,000 certified speakers, trainers and coaches across the globe.  Moraine Park Technical College will be hosting the 2022 Live2Lead event on November 3. Expect to hear from multiple leadership experts who will help you gain a new perspective and have you leading with a renewed passion!

Karissa Schneider and Leslie Laster join us to highlight an innovative partnership between the Boys & Girls Club of FDL and MPTC. This partnership was recognized and awarded the 2021 Innovation Award for implementing a program to address diversity, equity and inclusion in the community.

The Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) has a number of programs that benefit area businesses and the overall business climate. WEDC Regional Economic Development Director Jon Bartz discusses how businesses can take advantage of programs that offer tax credits for business development and expansion, assistance with global trade initiatives, and opportunities to participate in and support promotion of skilled and technical jobs to K-12 students. Jon also talks about what WEDC is doing to help retain and attract talent in Wisconsin.

Moraine Park Technical College awarded its annual Business and Industry partnership awards, recognizing valued partners of 2021. The New Partner of the Year award is given to an organization that supports Moraine Park through contributions, sponsorships or involvement for the first time. The 2021 award recipient is Whisker formerly known as AutoPets. Whisker has been a strong new partner with MPTC as a Workforce Advancement Training grant partner to run multiple Supervision courses in 2021. They were a major sponsor at the Dodge County SHRM DEI conference, and employee and MPTC alumnus, Tyler Soto, is a great advocate and ambassador for the College.

What does “Boot Camp” mean to you?  At Moraine Park Technical College Boot Camp means a short-term training program in which people with little or no experience in manufacturing gain the skills they need in just three months. It is one of the ways Moraine Park is working to combat the skilled worker shortage with area employers.  Nate Glander, HR Business Partner at Wabash National, one of the employers involved in the Boot Camps and Elise Winkel, a Welding Boot Camp graduate share their experience with the Moraine Park Boot Camp programs.

Each year, the Northeast Wisconsin Manufacturing Alliance (NEWMA) conducts research on the state of manufacturing in Northeast Wisconsin. The Manufacturing Vitality Index provides a snapshot of the health of manufacturing now and in the near future, as well as the challenges facing area manufacturers. Get details of the 2022 index and what the results mean for the region as a whole.

Learning for Independence (LFI) is an 18 to 21-year-old transition program that prepares students for their next stage in life as an employee or college student.  This two-year program brings students from a high school setting into the college setting and helps them gain confidence to prepare them for their next stage of life. Chris Schultz, Director of Student Services for North Fond du Lac school district and Jo Marchionda, Special Education Teacher share information on LFI and the partnership with MPTC.

Mary Davies, Associate Dean of EWD joined us to talk about Moraine Park's training programs with the Department of Corrections. Davies encourages employers to look beyond the background check and consider some of these key things when considering an individual for employment. Giving these individuals a chance to use the skills earned while incarcerated helps set them up for success.

Megan Sawall, Program Coordinator at Forward Services Corporation talks about how she works with employers in all aspects of workforce development to include education and training programs.

Jim Cleveland, Vice President of Economic Development for Envision Greater Fond du Lac, joined us to talk about the Fond du Lac County Worker Relocation Incentive Program.  Fond du Lac County is certainly experiencing the same workforce shortage as the rest of the United States and this program is an effort to address the current shortages.

What is WIOA? The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) was designed to provide free services to meet workforce demands and help individuals find high demand, high wage jobs.  Talitha Cushman, WIOA Training Navigator for Moraine Park joined us to share how her role with the college helps provide support and programs for adults with [...]

Associate Dean of Trades, Stephen Horvath, shares his expertise on apprenticeships. He explains how the apprenticeship programs at Moraine Park Technical College work, as well as which programs the college offers.

Valerie Hoff from Commute with Enterprise joins us to share how the Commute with Enterprise program helps solve many HR related issues such as retention/turnover, transportation barriers and expanding recruiting zones. This program is helping companies and other various organizations with affordable and reliable transportation solutions for employees to get to and from work.  

When developing talent, the whole organization needs to embrace talent development as a business strategy. Moraine Park’s STRAT program gives organization the tools to develop internal leaders while involving the company in the training program. Sue Roettger, retired VP of Human Resources for Mid-States Aluminum with over 20 years in the human resources field joins [...]

Bobbi Miller, Business Services Manager at the Fox Valley Workforce Development Board joins us to talk about current labor market tools, business outreach services and unemployment in our region. She will also share how she went about reframing current service delivery offerings to continue to provide resources to business and industry during the pandemic.  

Data drives behaviors, which in turn drives relationships.  Lynn Corazzi, Owner and Data Magician of Data2Profit Consulting joined us to talk about how companies can use data to help them grow and leverage their talent better. It seems that the smaller the company the more hats employees wear, so being able to use data to [...]

It’s not just a matter of lost economic activity, it can also be significant materials losses businesses are facing. Jeffrey Sachse, Interim Director of UW-Oshkosh’s Center for Customized Research and Services joined us to discuss the local COVID-19 economic impact surveys and the effect on local businesses.

Integrity is essential for long-term success of an organization. Guest speaker Roy Krueger, EWD Leadership Instructor, joined us to discuss ethical issues in the workplace. How to think through a moral or ethical dilemmas that you may face in many different situations.

Guest speaker, Liz Groskreutz, Training Coordinator at Fortifi Bank joins us to discuss how they took their need for succession planning and retention and turned it into a successful leadership program within their organization. Fortifi Bank also realizes that leadership isn’t just a title or having direct reports, so they offer this training to employees [...]

Guest speaker, Liz Groskreutz, Training Coordinator at Fortifi Bank joins us to discuss how they took their need for succession planning and retention and turned it into a successful leadership program within their organization. Fortifi Bank also realizes that leadership isn’t just a title or having direct reports, so they offer this training to employees [...]

The purpose of a leader is to impact those around them in a positive way and help bring change to their environment. It all comes down to bringing positive change. Guest speaker, Matt Goff, Economic and Workforce Development Leadership Instructor shares how communication plays a key role in leadership and how it is constantly evolving.

The purpose of a leader is to impact those around them in a positive way and help bring change to their environment. It all comes down to bringing positive change. Guest speaker, Matt Goff, Economic and Workforce Development Leadership Instructor shares how communication plays a key role in leadership and how it is constantly evolving.

Guest speaker: Harley Lemkuil, the Ridesharing Manager from Specialty Cheese Company in Reeseville, WI.  Harley shares how the rideshare program was started and how the service has impacted their company and employees.

Guest speaker: Harley Lemkuil, the Ridesharing Manager from Specialty Cheese Company in Reeseville, WI.  Harley shares how the rideshare program was started and how the service has impacted their company and employees.

Prepare your organization to compete with today’s competition by focusing on process improvement.  Continuous Improvement is having the ability to look at what we do within an organization and improve, so we can be as efficient and productive as possible.

Prepare your organization to compete with today’s competition by focusing on process improvement.  Continuous Improvement is having the ability to look at what we do within an organization and improve, so we can be as efficient and productive as possible.

How do we engage across all the generations within our organizations? Guest speaker, Chad Kopitzke, expert on the generational workplace and dedicated to helping companies attract, motivate and retain talent, shares how to leverage generational diversity.

How do we engage across all the generations within our organizations? Guest speaker, Chad Kopitzke, expert on the generational workplace and dedicated to helping companies attract, motivate and retain talent, shares how to leverage generational diversity.