Lieutenant Governor Rebecca Kleefisch touts Lakeshore Technical College’s new mobile manufacturing training lab, which aims to connect Wisconsinites with necessary skills-training for jobs that are in demand.
Kleefisch describes the mobile lab as a triangular approach to addressing the skills gap and preparing individuals for good-paying jobs. “The top of the triangle is going to be our educators … the other sides have to be government and also the private sector.”
Kleefisch says there are between 25,000 to 45,000 jobs listed, and can be found on the state website. But, people who are currently unemployed don’t necessarily have the skills needed to fill those positions. That’s where the mobile lab comes in. “There are a number of opportunities for folks to get hands on experience with tools, with engineering, and with CNC machining, even a little bit pre-welding so that people can understand that these are exciting jobs.”
The lab was scheduled to travel to local high schools in the LTC district near Sheboygan to provide on-site training in advanced manufacturing. The mobile unit also provides hands-on experience for unemployed workers looking for new skills, and for prison inmates looking for good-paying jobs as they are reintegrated back into their communities.
Kleefisch encourages business owners and other folks to do their own version of the mobile lab unit. She says worker training is a key to making Wisconsin economically competitive.
Governor Scott Walker addresses the skills gap in his budget with a proposed $100 million investment in Wisconsin’s workforce. The money would be invested in worker training as part of an effort to spur economic growth and create jobs.
The lab was developed as a partnership between the Department of Workforce Development, the Department of Corrections, Lakeshore and Northeast Wisconsin Technical Colleges, and several partners in the private sector.
AUDIO: Jackie Johnson report 1:50
