MADISON (Oct. 15, 2009) – Wisconsin’s technical colleges will play a vital role in ensuring that employers have the skilled workers they’ll need in the coming years, according to a new national report.  Demand in Wisconsin for highly-skilled technical and trade workers will spike as baby boomers retire and the number of high school graduates declines, trends obscured by the current recession.

Wisconsin’s Forgotten Middle-Skill Jobs was released today by The Workforce Alliance, a national coalition of community-based organizations, community and technical colleges, labor unions, business leaders and local officials.  Part of the national Skills2Compete campaign, the Alliance report says “middle-skill” jobs—those that require more than a high school diploma, but less than a four-year degree—represent about 54 percent of current jobs in Wisconsin, a proportion not expected to change significantly over the next decade.  Wisconsin’s technical colleges are the premier provider of the education and training needed to obtain these jobs.

Although the recession has resulted in a high unemployment rate in Wisconsin, a significant mismatch currently exists between worker skills and employer needs.  “Given the pace of technological advancements in the workplace, high-quality education and training for all workers has become an economic imperative,” said Dan Clancy, President of the Wisconsin Technical College System.  “This is really about creating a culture of lifelong learning in Wisconsin.”

Wisconsin’s Forgotten Middle-Skill Jobs notes that 67 percent of those expected to be in Wisconsin’s workforce in 2020 were already working in 2005.  Because many of these individuals have been dislocated or don’t have the advanced skills required to meet employers’ current or emerging needs, they are turning to the technical colleges in large numbers.

“This report emphasizes the invaluable role technical colleges play in educating and training the workforce of tomorrow,” said MATC Interim President Dr. Vicki J. Martin. “MATC is committed to continuing to prepare Wisconsin residents for middle-skill jobs in growing and emerging industries that are critical to our state’s economic recovery.”

Enrollments in Wisconsin’s 16 technical colleges, which historically increase during recessionary times, are at unprecedented levels: the System’s full-time equivalent enrollments are expected to increase more than 15 percent this year.  While significant enrollment increases have strained colleges’ staff and resources, the colleges have responded with a number of strategies to meet demand, particularly the needs of dislocated workers.  Strategies include adding course sections, flexible course delivery, relaxing enrollment limits and deadlines, and waiving application and other fees for dislocated workers.

“The educational and career pathways available to working adults and dislocated workers have to be clear,” said Stan Davis, President of the Wisconsin Technical College System’s governing board.  “When the approach and options are clear, it pays dividends for employers who get the skilled workers they need, and for workers who advance their careers.”  The report highlights a number of exemplary education and training programs already developed by the technical colleges to serve these populations. To highlight the importance of education and training beyond high school, the Wisconsin Technical College System endorses the vision offered in the Wisconsin’s Forgotten Middle-Skill Jobs: every Wisconsinite should have access to education or training past high school.  The report and additional information about labor market projections and Wisconsin Technical College System programs can be found at www.skills2compete.org/Wisconsin.

The Wisconsin Technical College System has 16 technical college districts throughout Wisconsin, which offer more than 300 programs awarding two-year associate degrees, one and two-year technical diplomas and short-term technical diplomas. In addition, the System is the major provider of customized training and technical assistance to Wisconsin’s business and industry community. Approximately 400,000 Wisconsinites enroll in technical colleges each year. More than half of all adults in Wisconsin have accessed the technical colleges for education and training. Find more about educational programs at www.witechcolleges.org.