Milwaukee school to build manufacturing center
ECAM’s mission:
• Serve as a model for energy efficiency and manufacturing resource technologies.
• Provide customer-driven services.
• Deliver innovative education and training to support emerging energy and manufacturing methodologies.
• Train a new breed of worker geared to continuous change and possessing much higher technical skills.
MATC president Darnell E. Cole said:
“This was a thorough review process that has been in the works for more than a year. We are pleased to receive the final green light for a public-private partnership of great importance to Milwaukee’s economy.”
“The project will bundle together energy technologies and manufacturing processes in new and beneficial combinations,” said Vicki Martin, Oak Creek Campus interim vice president.
Martin noted that manufacturing is among our economy’s largest consumers of energy.
“If we are going to increase the success of manufacturing in southeastern Wisconsin, there is no magic bullet, no single answer," she said. "The problem needs to be addressed through a systems approach, drawing on a mix of strategies.”
Martin pointed out that manufacturing process improvement also can promote energy efficiency.
“ECAM will help employers in that area, while assuming a major role in workforce training. We will be focusing on the high skills needed by the region’s industries in light of a large number of looming retirements,” she said.
Applied technology centers are public/private partnerships that provide workforce development and help industries grow. The Wisconsin Technical College System Board has established a process to allow MATC to borrow up to $5 million to develop ECAM, contingent on a 30 percent level ($2.2 million) of private investment. MATC has received commitments for cash and technology donations in excess of $4 million, but continues to raise money aggressively with the goal of maximizing the new facility’s usefulness to employers and high-tech training.
“Our fund-raising progress has been encouraging,” said Robert Hartung, vice president of college advancement. “We’ve been asking companies to give us their best thinking and help us develop ECAM in a way that really meets their needs. They are telling us that something like this is needed desperately.”
“We want employers to help us plan the basic elements of this facility,” Martin said. “To make sure it works for them, they have to be engaged at ground level. We are also working with partners in high schools to improve the image of careers in manufacturing. Down the road, we’ll also be looking at partnerships with four-year colleges and universities.”
Plans for ECAM include five specialized labs:
• Advanced Manufacturing Technology and Welding
• HVAC Digital Control
• Energy Solutions
• Skills Assessment and Certification
• Advanced Software Applications
Each will address different aspects of the twin problems of employee productivity and operational efficiency. Educationally, the center will offer associate degree programs, apprenticeship training, journeyperson upgrading and certificates. The center also will provide just-in-time customized training aimed at upgrading targeted skills needed by individual companies.
In 2004, the Wisconsin Technical College System conducted a statewide series of focus group interviews with manufacturers. Industry recognized that it needs an image makeover to attract quality employees in the future. Ability to work cooperatively as part of a team emerged as the most sought-after attribute, along with higher-level technical skills.