With campuses in Chippewa Falls, Eau Claire, Menomonie, and River Falls, along with the Neillsville Center, CVTC serves one of the largest geographical regions of all of Wisconsin’s16 technical colleges. The area includes parts of 11 different counties in West Central Wisconsin—which means that it takes a lot of hard work to meet the needs of area businesses. But, according to Menomonie Campus Manager and Business & Industry Representative Roxann Vanderwyst, CVTC is fulfilling that part of its mission— with much of the best work happening behind the scenes. "The most visible way we serve area businesses, of course, is through our graduates who go to work for them," says Vanderwyst. "But there is a tremendous amount of work we do with and for area businesses that most people never see."
A Trio of Behind-The-Scenes Services
Beyond the core training provided to CVTC students in the College’s degree and certificate programs, there are three primary ways the College serves area businesses, according to Vanderwyst: customized training, consulting, and continuing education. "We have three full-time, dedicated trainer/consultants to help businesses with their custom training needs for current employees," she notes.
Each trainer covers a specific area of training: Jon Leenhouts specializes in safety-related training; Dan Burns, leadership and management; and Dave Otto, electromechanical manufacturing. When needed, CVTC sets up special facilities to help with the training, such as two laboratories at the Menomonie Campus—one dedicated to training maintenance technicians to service various manufacturing equipment and the other dedicated to welding.
When businesses need help with training issues outside these three areas, CVTC will find a way to get them what they need, according to Vanderwyst. Sometimes other CVTC instructors with the required or necessary background and expertise are engaged to handle the training. But if there isn’t a qualified person on staff, the College will go out into the community to find other people who can do the job.
When it comes to consulting services, CVTC draws on its staff’s expertise to help companies that don’t have the personnel to do the job. For example, a smaller company might recognize the need to revamp its safety program—or upgrade their office software systems—but they don’t have anyone on staff with adequate expertise to resolve the issues. They can turn to CVTC, which will work with them to assess their needs and identify solutions.
The third area—continuing education courses and professional development seminars—is really suitable for mixed groups from a multitude of different companies. Each year CVTC offers a robust curriculum of courses and seminars that are open to anyone.
Partnering for success
One of the most dynamic ways CVTC helps area businesses, however, is through the formation of partnerships that often include CVTC, several businesses, and various government agencies. One of the widest-reaching partnerships, according to Vanderwyst, is a group of 19 different manufacturing companies from Chippewa and Eau Claire counties that formed a consortium and partnered with CVTC to upgrade a broad spectrum of basic skills among their employees. Tim Shepardson, manager for CVTC’s Chippewa Falls Campus and Neillsville Center, met with representatives of the consortium and helped secure a grant from Wisconsin’s Workforce Development Board to help offset part of the cost of the training. They put together Critical Core Manufacturing Skills, a 12-module program that included training in what the companies considered "foundational skills."
"Our associates are expanding their manufacturing skills in areas of safety, adaptability, problem solving, and productivity," says Sheri Johnson, manager for Mulehide Manufacturing in Cornell, Wis. "Making an investment in training results in a more engaged workforce, which is key to being competitive in an ever-changing global economy."
On another project, Vanderwyst worked with a smaller consortium of Dunn County companies (3M, ConAgra Foods, and Cardinal Glass), all of which were hoping to elevate the skill sets of their maintenance technicians. CVTC helped secure a grant to offset the cost and set up a lab on campus. With CVTC’s help, the companies received the training they needed for roughly 100 maintenance technicians.
Some industry partners become "regulars," if you will, turning to CVTC to lend a helping hand on an ongoing basis. Take Cascade Tissue Group from Eau Claire. "We have always been very satisfied with all of our working experiences with CVTC," says Kelly Droege, training coordinator for Cascade. "That is why we turn to the College first for the majority of our external training needs."
Despite the success they’ve had with these partnerships, the folks at CVTC are not resting on their laurels. The College has recently undertaken two initiatives to ensure that the service they have to offer just keeps getting better. "We’re working with the local economic development corporations in each of the counties we serve to try to better identify what area business training needs are," says Vanderwyst, who adds that the College is using surveys and focus groups to take a proactive approach to understanding upcoming training needs. CVTC is also working with its business partners to find better ways to evaluate the effectiveness of its training.
"With today’s economy, everyone needs to make better decisions about how they invest in employee development," says Vanderwyst. "We want to be sure we’re delivering the value they need for their training investment."