EXPANDING HORIZONS WWTCAnd Tri-State Area Technology Group

Why Are We Here? The partnerships and outcome resulting from WWTC collaborating with… –Advisory Committees –Professional Organizations and –Fort McCoy

THE COLLABORATIVE WWTC Advisory Committee Area Businesses Tri-State Area Technology Group (TSATG) Army Reserve Readiness Training Center (ARRTC/Fort McCoy)

What is a Technical College? Not a Junior or Community College Not a general studies degree Designed to teach hands-on technical skills Our goal is to give students skills necessary to enter the workforce in 2 years or less “We train students for careers”

Advantages of Technical College Degrees designed for success in Great-paying careers Strong job placement Only six months after graduation, 94% of Wisconsin Technical College graduates are employed; 80% in their field of study. Affordable tuition More career choices than ever Flexible class scheduling Hands-on learning Smaller classes Credit transfer to four-year programs Source:

Why a Technical College? Programs are designed to meet needs of district employers (This information comes from advisory committees) Students get a technical education in 2 years Programs are able to continually adjust to meet industry needs Instructors have real-world experience Colleges have outreach campuses for convenience of students around the district

WTCS - 16 Districts

Programs/Options More than 300 career programs to choose from: –Associate Degrees –One and two year technical diplomas –Certificates –Liberal Arts –Apprenticeship Programs –Advanced Certificates

ADVISORY COMMITTEE Purpose/Goal Format Committee meets once per semester Members include district Business and TSATG members Fall 2003 meeting –Survey

WWTC Advisory CommitteeTraining TSATG ARRTC Partnership

TSATG Formed 2 ½ Years Ago Designed to bring IT professionals together from the Tri-State area Sponsored La Crosse’s first TECHNOLOGY EXPO in 2003

ARRTC Army Reserve Readiness Training Center (ARRTC) Train Army, Army Reservists, and Government Contractors Professional Trainers from Sybex Located at Fort McCoy

The Trane Company Fortune 500 Company Based in La Crosse, WI Employs nearly 2500 people in La Crosse Over $2 Billion in sales worldwide

A Growing Process The Seed –Idea surfaced to create an elective course for Security in the Fall of 2002 The Growth –Partnership between WWTC/ARRTC/Adjunct Staff (Trane) The Blossom –Successful Implementation of Security course Fall 2003 The Garden –Grown into 4 elective courses offered to date Spring 2004

Results from Advisory Committee Need for a Network Security Course Added to Curriculum in Traditional Format Local Businesses, Looking for Training

THE EVOLUTION Members of TSATG on WWTC Advisory Board WWTC Faculty Attended TSATG Functions

EVOLUTION (cont) Presentation were made by major vendors WWTC Students also attended TSATG meetings. Contacts were made with local businesses

MEETING at WWTC Tour of New IT Services Introduction by Associate Dean Presentation by Advisory Committee Member Overview of IT Program Survey Student Internships and AITP

Attendance 35 members present 10 Students TSATG electronically surveyed their membership 100 responses to the survey

SURVEY Hire WWTC Graduates Skills Required Experience Level Advisory Committee Internships Adjunct Faculty Education and Training Topics

SURVEY RESULT 75% Thought WWTC Programs Met Their Business Needs 74% Hired WWTC Graduates 70% Thought WWTC Taught the Right Skills 86% Ranked People Skills as High as Technical Skills

TOP TRAINING TOPICS Active Directory Microsoft Server Security Microsoft Exchange Disaster Recovery Cisco IOS UNIX/LINUX Terminal Services / Citrix

Requirements Low Cost Timely Scheduling Courses offered locally Topic Expert Non-Traditional Schedule

NEW CLASSES Windows Server Security Active Directory Future Classes – Intrusion Detection – WEB Security

FORMAT OF CLASSES One Credit Course – Topic Specific 18 Hours 2 Weeks 2 Nights a Week Topic Specific Trainer

OUTCOMES New Advisory Members New Adjunct Faculty Visibility to Community –La Crosse Tribune News Release Internship for Students

FUTURE PLANS WWTC will be a key partner for technology in Western Wisconsin including parts of Minnesota and Iowa lcome.aspwww.7riversregion.com/home/welcome/we lcome.asp

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