Manufacturing
jobs are the infrastructure of our
state and our communities.
Nearly 40% of the jobs in
Sheboygan County are manufacturing
jobs. In order to continue to grow
as a community and state, we need
to guarantee manufacturing companies
an appropriate atmosphere in which
to thrive. One element of that atmosphere
is an able and educated work force.
But, how do we developed interest
in manufacturing jobs when funding
for tech ed is being cut from schools
and manufacturing jobs are requiring
more advanced skill sets?
Welcome
to Project GRILL.
Six high
schools paired with six manufacturing
companies in Sheboygan County will
embark on a project to design and
build six custom grills from scratch.
This program is called Project GRILL;
standing for Growing Readiness In
Learning and Leading. The mission
of Project GRILL is to improve the
image of manufacturing through exposing
our community, educators, students,
and parents to the diverse career
opportunities within Sheboygan County.
Ultimately, working towards creating
an expansive workforce to sustain
the success we are cultivating today.
By pairing large manufacturers with
high school students, we will build
excitement about the variety of
career options within the field
of manufacturing, as well as provide
mentors for the students.
Additional
Statistics Important to Your Success:
43% of Wisconsin based workers in
manufacturing are 45 years of age
and older which means within the
next ten years, more than 43% of
the current workforce will retire
From
2002 through 2012, employment growth
for all Wisconsin industries is
projected to be 394,000 new jobs,
or 13%, outpacing the countries’
manufacturing growth by 11%
From May 2005 – May 2006, Wisconsin
had the 16th highest annual increase
in manufacturing employment – 1,100
jobs
Wisconsin
ranks second nationally – trailing
only Indiana – in percentage of
total jobs that are manufacturing,
with 18 percent
Manufacturing in Wisconsin is
concentrated along the Lake Michigan
coast and in the Fox Valley area
Over 60% of manufacturing workers
in Wisconsin are employed in the
five eastern-most Workforce Development
Areas (WDAs)
While the country has lost over
450,000 manufacturing jobs over
the last four years, Wisconsin
is one of the only major manufacturing
states to increase manufacturing
jobs. Wisconsin added 2,500 manufacturing
jobs since January 2003
