Today's EagleHerald landed on the doorstep with an ominous thump. "Fed chief delivers grim news: Bernanke says economy is 'close to faltering'"
"America has a jobs crisis," the article went on to say.
Fortunately in our community, the news is more positive. Employment in local industries is generally up, after taking a tumble at the end of 2008.
We have jobs. Just about any job you can train for, we've got, from highly-skilled maintenance specialist to research and development engineer. Our factories are clean environments. Machines do the work now; workers run machines.
In our community, you can have a pretty good life working in the industrial sector. But it's not the only choice.
You can get an associate's degree in a variety of exciting fields at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College. You can get a liberal arts education that prepares you for life by giving you the skills to think and solve problems. You can also get a four-year degree, thanks to UW-Marinette's partnerships with baccalaureate-granting colleges. You can take college credits in high school. You can try on careers by getting a summer job in a local business.
It's a pretty good time to be a young person in the Marinette Menominee area. Our challenge is getting the word out.
Over the past several days at two separate economic development summits, I've heard local experts say that we've got to reach parents, we've got to tell them that there are many more choices locally than some of them realize.
Our Business & Education Partnership, a group made up of business people, local school officials and former teachers, already works with 8th graders, high-school sophomores, upperclassmen, new educators and school boards. Now it's time to identify ways to bring parents into the picture.
I'm looking forward to this challenge! Stay tuned: I'll keep you in the loop.
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Saturday, October 1, 2011
The Business-Education Connection
Kudos to our friends at Nicolet Bank for arranging a Business-Education forum that brought industry and school leaders together for a stimulating panel discussion on Sept 29 at Little River Country Club.
Even those of us who have been involved in the conversation between industry and schools for many years left that meeting with new ideas and new challenges. Preparing our students for the jobs our community offers is everybody's responsibility.
Earlier in the week, the chamber and its members welcomed more than two dozen new teachers at an early-morning breakfast. This year, we assigned guests to tables, ensuring that teachers were paired with business leaders. Our goal was to further open the channels of communication between plant managers, bank presidents, and business owners and the dedicated teachers who educate our children.
The conversation will continue Tuesday at the Northwoods Economic Summit at UW-Marinette. This annual event focuses on workforce and economic development. The topic has taken on greater urgency this year as many if not most of our industries are thriving.
There are jobs locally in just about every field, from CNC machining to accounting. We are fortunate to have two colleges that can train young people to do these jobs.
I've never been more excited about the future of our community! As an area native whose roots here go back to the 1860s, I'm happy my husband and I returned to our home towns to live and work. I'm proud of our thriving businesses and our dedicated educators.
I'm equally proud of the chamber volunteers who have worked diligently to forge relationships between business and education to help our students thrive. Read more about their efforts here.
Even those of us who have been involved in the conversation between industry and schools for many years left that meeting with new ideas and new challenges. Preparing our students for the jobs our community offers is everybody's responsibility.
Earlier in the week, the chamber and its members welcomed more than two dozen new teachers at an early-morning breakfast. This year, we assigned guests to tables, ensuring that teachers were paired with business leaders. Our goal was to further open the channels of communication between plant managers, bank presidents, and business owners and the dedicated teachers who educate our children.
The conversation will continue Tuesday at the Northwoods Economic Summit at UW-Marinette. This annual event focuses on workforce and economic development. The topic has taken on greater urgency this year as many if not most of our industries are thriving.
There are jobs locally in just about every field, from CNC machining to accounting. We are fortunate to have two colleges that can train young people to do these jobs.
I've never been more excited about the future of our community! As an area native whose roots here go back to the 1860s, I'm happy my husband and I returned to our home towns to live and work. I'm proud of our thriving businesses and our dedicated educators.
I'm equally proud of the chamber volunteers who have worked diligently to forge relationships between business and education to help our students thrive. Read more about their efforts here.
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