Wisconsin manufacturer partners with local college to build talent pipeline
By Riia O'Donnell for Industry Dive
Wisconsin Oven, an industrial oven manufacturer, has launched a collaboration with Gateway Technical College to set up a talent pipeline for itself, the company announced. The company has opened Wisconsin Oven Universal Training Center, where students can receive training and a paycheck. Wisconsin Oven will pay students $10 an hour while they complete their training. Wisconsin Oven will also pick up the costs of trainees' first semester at Gateway.
The paid training, which lasts a year, consists of two modules. Module 1 covers welding and mechanical assembly, while Module 2 focuses on electrical assembly. The program targets recent high school graduates, underemployed workers and the unemployed. Learners will receive a certificate of completion they can present to other employers, as well.
About the Author
Alexis GajewskiAlexis Gajewski
Senior Content Strategist
Alexis Gajewski is a manufacturing writer and editor with nearly 20 years of experience covering the people, practices, and technologies that keep industrial facilities running. For more than a decade, she served as Senior Content Strategist for Plant Services, creating content for plant managers, engineers, and maintenance professionals on a variety of industrial topics.
During her tenure, Alexis worked to develop the brand’s digital strategy and helped launch and produce Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast. She also created The Lighter Side of Manufacturing, a weekly blog that explored the inventive and sometimes humorous side of the industry.
Alexis co-founded Influential Women in Manufacturing, a recognition program that honored 49 women in its first two years, earned an industry award for Best Product Launch, and received a proclamation from Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and a commendation from U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth.
She also led newsroom operations and development at a large media company where she set editorial standards, developed training curriculum, and helped support AI adoption for more than 150 editors across 80+ brands spanning manufacturing, industrial processing, automation, and more.
Additionally, Alexis works as a freelance writer and editor, and her areas of interest include continuous improvement, the skilled workforce, and the role of emerging technology on the plant floor.
Connect with Alexis on LinkedIn
