With $579,000 from the Navy, NWTC launches Welding Rodeo to attract shipbuilding students
GREEN BAY – Northeast Wisconsin Technical College received a grant of almost $600,000 from the U.S. Department of the Navy for a series of events at its Sturgeon Bay and Marinette campuses, called a "Welding Rodeo," to promote careers in that field and help attract much-needed new talent for the region's shipbuilding industry.
The Navy’s Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics Education and Workforce Program awarded $579,181 to NWTC in response to what the school described in a press release as an "urgent demand for skilled shipbuilders."
The release said northeastern Wisconsin is home to six of the Great Lakes’ eight shipbuilders, but those builders have a shortage of qualified workers and the demand for them will grow in coming years. Compared to the 296 vessels that exist today, the U.S. Navy’s 30-year plan proposes up to 404 manned and 204 large, unmanned vessels in its fleet.
Funds from the grant allow NWTC to launch by this fall the "Welding Rodeo: Experiences in STEM Education" program. Sponsored by the Navy's Office of Naval Research, it will include STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) career fairs, hands-on welding workshops, welding competitions for every skill level and a metal sculpture contest with proceeds funding scholarships.
The rodeos are planned to be annual events at NWTC's campuses in Sturgeon Bay and Marinette, home to international shipbuilder Fincantieri's Bay Shipbuilding and Marinette Marine shipyards as well as other employers in the maritime industry. The college holds a longstanding partnership with Fincantieri Marinette Marine, offering tailored training at a dedicated shipyard facility, and recently expanded to provide specialized training for Bay Ship through the Sturgeon Bay campus.
“To navigate the industry’s evolving landscape, we need to anticipate and embrace the challenges ahead,” NWTC vice president of college advancement Meridith Jaeger said in the press release. "The Welding Rodeo not only addresses the immediate demands of our growing maritime industry but also serves as a blueprint for other skilled trades to thrive, across our region and beyond. This initiative will not only bridge the gap between talent and opportunity, it forges new connections between communities and the maritime sector."
NWTC has collaborated closely with the maritime sector dating to World War II, offering tailored training to shipbuilders and working with workforce development to grow the industry. The college said in its press release it has played a critical role in the expansion of the shipbuilding workforce, training nearly 15,000 new hires and incumbent workers through its North Coast Marine Manufacturing Training Center.
“As the maritime sector continues to grow, NWTC remains at the forefront of this expansion. Yet, to navigate the industry’s evolving landscape, we need to anticipate and embrace the challenges ahead,” Jaeger said.
More information will be announced by the school on the Welding Rodeo as it becomes available. For more information, visit nwtc.edu or follow its social media channels @NWTC.
Contact Christopher Clough at 920-562-8900 or cclough@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: NWTC plans Welding Rodeo to attract students to shipbuilding industry
