CLEVELAND, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — An area college received the National Science Foundation’s fourth and largest grant in four years.
Lakeshore Technical College will use the $650,000 grant to establish a new type of charter school that will help address the continuing labor shortage in the manufacturing sector.
Lakeshore Technical College will partner with the Cedar Grove-Belgium School District and industry employers to develop the advanced manufacturing technology charter school, the first of its kind in the state.
“This grant will have a significant impact on the community. It will provide students the opportunity to embark on a fast-track trajectory for education that will prepare them to graduate as workforce-ready advanced manufacturing technicians and be ready for additional industry-focused college coursework,” said Lakeshore President Paul Carlsen. “Graduates entering the workforce will find themselves in high demand, earning much higher wages than the average high school graduate.”
Rocket Academy Dual Credit Advanced Manufacturing Technology Education Charter School, RADCAM TEC for short will be ready to fill jobs for skilled technicians in areas including computer numerical control (CNC), machine tool, welding, and industrial maintenance. Since women and individuals from low-income backgrounds are traditionally underrepresented in those areas, the grant will also fund efforts to broaden participation among students in those populations.
Manufacturing is the largest industry sector in the Lakeshore community. It provides a third of high demand jobs with annual median wages over $60,000.
