Valued Voice

Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development Chief Economist Dennis Winters and Northwood Technical College President Dr. John Will were guests at the May 17meeting of the WHA Council on Workforce Development. Winters briefed the group on the current and future health care employment picture, noting, “There simply aren’t enough people available to fill all the jobs.”
 
Dr. Will followed Winters to discuss how Northwood Tech is working to grow more health care programs, noting “Health care is by far our largest cluster, and we’re heavily invested in the industry.” The Northwood Tech president shared innovative ways the college is partnering with hospitals and health systems, other technical colleges and universities and K-12 school districts, including new models of certified nursing assistant programs in high schools that provide entry into health care career pathways, youth apprenticeships for phlebotomy and surgical technician, an assessment of the imaging career pipeline, and even an affordable housing project undertaken by Tamarack Health.
 
Council members had an opportunity to share and compare their own partnerships and innovative approaches, including new team roles such as radiology and respiratory therapy assistant.
 
Contact WHA Senior Vice President Workforce and Clinical Practice Ann Zenk for more information about partnering with your region’s technical college or school districts, or for any workforce questions or issues.