A Joint Initiative Between     Heart of Wisconsin     Business & Economic Alliance and     Community Foundation of Greater     South Wood County

Home About Us B2B Club Breaking News Contact Donate Events / Programs Feedback Ideas Incubator Industry Clusters Links / Resources Progess Funds Progress Teams Public Art / Murals Publications/td>		Breaking News May 5, 2005 - Cluster group to get connected via internet By Kelly Akkerman, for Daily Tribune Editor's note: The Daily Tribune will publish columns regularly updating readers on the Community Progress Initiative's industry cluster groups. The cluster groups - designed to enhance the local economy - each have a specific focus. This week, Education/Workforce Cluster member Kelly Akkerman of the Riverview Hospital Association, writes about the Paper and Forest Products Cluster. The Education/Workforce Development cluster of the Community Progress Initiative is made up of the following dedicated community members: Dean Ryerson, co-chairman; Doris McAllister, co-chairwoman; Deanna MacMillian, co-chairwoman; Amanda Vandehey, Dorothy Miller, Garrett Hetzel, Jane Walczak, Jill Cavanaugh, Joan Sosalla, Kelly Akkerman, Lindsay Lewis, Marcia Hendrickson, Dr. Mari Shaw, Mary Jo Carson, Melinda McNett, Michael Alexander and Pete Taylor. Our team generally meets monthly at predetermined times and locations, and our cluster is dedicated to assisting our community's employers and our workforce in skills enhancement opportunities. Our mission: Foster and coordinate workforce education and training for the heart of Wisconsin's new economy. Our Vision: Just the right training, just in time. Specifically, the team is working to serve as the liaison between our community's employers and the workforce, and to make training opportunities that currently exist better known. The team also is working to assist with developing new training programs, as needed, to help employers gain the trained workforce they need when relocating to our area or expanding their businesses. We will do this via the World Wide Web. The cluster group has begun identifying available local training resources and is working with the New e-conomies Group in its quest to develop a community Web site, so this information is readily available. Once created, the cluster network will market the site. One of our goals is to reach out to our youths who are getting ready to enter the workforce, and to let them know of the career options that exist right here in central Wisconsin. This is our attempt to try and retain them in our community. Progress has begun on our own Web site - as of our last meeting - identifying training resources and their links, as well as other useful resources for both employers and the community. The Workforce Training and Education cluster is interested in additional input from the community at large. To visit or participate in the Education/Workforce Development Cluster, please call one of the cluster leaders: Dean Ryerson, Wisconsin Rapids superintendent of public schools, 422-6005; Doris McAllister, business training manager at Mid-State Technical College, 342-3126; or Deanna MacMillian, member of the North Central Wisconsin Workforce Development Board, 422-4700.
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