Wisconsin
Enrollment at Wisconsin technical colleges grows by more than 10 percent
Enrollment throughout the Wisconsin Technical School System grew by greater than 10 p.c through the 2021-22 tutorial yr. The rise follows a double-digit enrollment decline pushed by the COVID-19 pandemic and marks the most important positive factors for the system in no less than a decade.
All the state’s 16 technical schools noticed enrollment positive factors through the 2021-22 college yr, in keeping with the newest WTCS Factbook.
Nicolet Space Technical School in Rhinelander noticed the most important improve of 21.9 p.c over the earlier tutorial yr. Western Technical School in La Crosse reported a 19 p.c improve and Northcentral Technical School in Wausau posted positive factors of 15.5 p.c year-over-year.
The enrollment development marks a notable turnaround for Wisconsin Technical School System, or WTCS, which noticed a 13.2 p.c lower through the 2020-21 tutorial yr pushed by the pandemic. Throughout that span, a majority of faculties noticed double-digit declines and a few noticed enrollment fall by greater than 20 p.c.
General, WTCS added 25,669 college students within the 2021-22 tutorial yr.
WTCS President Morna Foy advised Wisconsin Public Radio the enrollment development is nice information for the state’s tech schools, however there’s nonetheless a methods to go earlier than numbers hit pre-pandemic ranges.
“It is a actually good signal for our college students, for the state’s financial and well being state of affairs,” Foy stated. “And it is also a extremely form of affirmation that loads of modifications and issues that we’re doing within the system are having the meant impact.”
Foy stated schools have been working to adapt to altering scholar wants. Meaning constructing extra flexibility into class schedules to accommodate little one care wants for working mother and father and offering extra on-line choices for these with problem discovering transportation.
Foy stated technical schools have additionally been engaged on “stacking credentials” by permitting college students to work on skilled credentials or certifications that construct earlier than beginning a brand new profession. One instance, she stated, is apprenticeships tied to tech school applications that permit college students to pursue a number of profession targets on the identical time.
“They’re coming to a technical school for his or her associated classroom instruction,” Foy stated. “However that is sometimes possibly sooner or later per week or a half a day per week. After which they’re additionally taking programs that give them a one-year or two-year technical diploma.”
Western Technical School President Roger Stanford stated a lot of their 19 p.c development in enrollment is coming from elevated contract coaching for workers. He stated firms like Ashley Furnishings or Gundersen Well being System who could not have the ability to discover sufficient school graduates are matched with instructors who educate new expertise to entry-level staff whereas they work.
“It is why it is so fashionable proper now, as a result of they only cannot wait two years for any person proper now,” Stanford stated.
The quantity of highschool college students looking for certifications or diplomas has additionally rebounded at Wisconsin technical schools. Enrollment in what WTCS calls “twin credit score” applications fell to 49,422 through the 2020-21 tutorial yr, the primary annual decline previously 9 years. The newest knowledge exhibits 57,219 highschool college students taking twin credit score programs, which is an all-time excessive.
Because the begin of COVID-19, public two-year schools skilled a number of the most important enrollment declines. Information from the Nationwide Pupil Clearinghouse Analysis Heart confirmed a 9.4 p.c lower within the fall of 2020. That development continued this fall when the middle reported a projected 5.4 p.c drop in enrollment.
Wisconsin
Biden Will Announce Microsoft’s $3.3 Billion AI Datacenter In Wisconsin Today—On Same Site As Trump’s Failed Foxconn Factory
Topline
President Joe Biden will unveil a new $3.3 billion investment by Microsoft to build a new artificial intelligence datacenter in Racine, Wisconsin, on Wednesday, in a bid to highlight his jobs push and economic accomplishments in the key battleground state.
Key Facts
According to the White House, the datacenter will create 2,300 union construction jobs and 2,000 permanent jobs.
Microsoft has also committed to working with the state-run Gateway Technical College to train 1,000 workers for datacenter and STEM roles and train 1,000 business leaders to adopt AI in their operations.
The White House statement highlights the datacenter project as a part of Biden’s “Investing in America” push to mobilize private sector investments to create manufacturing jobs in the semiconductors, clean energy and AI industries.
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Key Background
The AI datacenter is being built “on the same land” where former President Donald Trump unveiled a $10 billion Foxconn factory that never came to be, the White House’s fact sheet about the project mentions several times. Trump had referred to the factory as “the eighth wonder of the world” when he announced it in 2017 and promised it would create 13,000 jobs. The Taiwanese electronics manufacturer eventually scaled back its investment to $672 million, promising to create only 1,454 new jobs. Foxconn has no involvement in the Microsoft campus.
Crucial Quote
“Six years ago, the prior administration touted a $10 billion investment by Foxconn that would purportedly create 13,000 manufacturing jobs in Racine. But after 100 homes and farms were bulldozed to make way for the manufacturing plant and over $500 million in taxpayer dollars were invested to prepare the site, no such investment materialized,” the White House said.
What To Watch For
Biden is also scheduled to attend a campaign event later on Wednesday in Racine where he will address Black voters and “discuss the stakes of this election and the important progress made under his leadership for the Black community,” according to his campaign.
Further Reading
Trump promised this Wisconsin town a manufacturing boom. It never arrived. (Washington Post)
Biden to meet with Black voters during Wednesday trip to Wisconsin (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
Wisconsin
Thousands without power in Southern Wisconsin
MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) – Thousands of Alliant Energy customers and We Energies customers are without power according to the electric companies’ websites.
As of 11 p.m. Tuesday, Alliant Energy reported approximately 1,810 customers affected by power outages. The following counties made up part of that total:
- Columbia – 1 customer
- Dane – 155 customers
- Dodge – 1 customer
- Grant – 1 customer
- Iowa – 16 customers
- Rock – 6 customers
- Walworth – 1,143 customers
As of 11 p.m. Tuesday, We Energies reported 4,427 customers affected by power affected by power outages. The following counties made up part of that total:
- Dodge – 373 customers
- Jefferson – 1,407 customers
- Walworth – 102 customers
We Energies’ website acknowledged that many their customers in Southeast Wisconsin were experiencing power outages and that they were working to restore power.
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Copyright 2024 WMTV. All rights reserved.
Wisconsin
VP Harris to return to Wisconsin next Thursday for her fourth visit this year
WISCONSIN — Vice President Kamala Harris will travel to Milwaukee on Thursday, May 16, according to the White House.
The vice president will deliver remarks as part of her Economic Opportunity Tour.
This will be Harris’s fourth visit to the battleground state this year. Harris last visited La Crosse, Wis. in late April to highlight two new actions by the White House aimed at supporting the care economy.
The announcement comes one day before President Joe Biden is set to travel to Racine County and her visit comes two weeks after former President Donald Trump campaigned in Waukesha.
Details of where Harris will visit have not yet been released.
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