Op-ed from Lindsay Blumer, WTCS Board Interim President
Wisconsin's economic future starts with a skilled workforce. On September 2, the Wisconsin Technical College System Board approved its 2027-29 Biennial Budget Request, proposing a $168 million investment to prepare workers for in-demand careers and keep Wisconsin competitive. In this op-ed, WTCS Board Interim President Lindsay Blumer explains why investing in technical colleges is investing in Wisconsin.
Wisconsin doesn't have a workforce challenge because people don't want to work. We have a workforce challenge because technology is changing rapidly, employers' needs continue to evolve, and workers need access to education and training that keeps pace with that change.
For more than 115 years, Wisconsin's technical colleges have helped meet that challenge.
Since 1911, our colleges have prepared the skilled workforce that powers Wisconsin's communities, businesses, hospitals, manufacturers, farms and public services. While the economy has evolved dramatically over the decades, our mission has remained remarkably consistent: connect people to opportunity, and employers to talent.
Today, Wisconsin's 16 technical colleges are among the state's greatest competitive advantages not just here in our state but across the nation.
If Wisconsin wants to strengthen its workforce pipeline and prepare more nurses, welders, firefighters, childcare providers, advanced manufacturing professionals and emerging technology specialists, it must invest in the colleges that prepare them.
That investment will help sustain and expand opportunities already changing lives across the state. Through partnerships with over 600 high schools around the state, technical colleges are helping thousands of students earn college credit, explore careers and begin building their future before they graduate from high school.
With investment, Wisconsin can simplify the road map from high school to college and career, make college more affordable, and help every student graduate with the college or career experience necessary to meet the future with confidence.
Because our colleges are governed locally, they remain deeply rooted in the communities they serve. What works in Ashland differs from what is needed in Wausau, Milwaukee, or Eau Claire. Local communities help identify emerging needs. Local employers shape programs. Local boards provide oversight. That responsiveness allows technical colleges to adapt quickly and accurately, preparing students for careers that exist today while anticipating the jobs of tomorrow.
Our industry-prepared faculty bring expertise into every classroom, lab and simulation center. Students learn from nurses who have cared for patients, welders who have worked in manufacturing facilities, cybersecurity experts who have defended critical systems, and electricians who have spent years on job sites. That real-world experience infuses our curriculum with not only theory, but also skills that apply on day one.
Across Wisconsin, technical colleges partner directly with employers to solve workforce challenges. Whether helping manufacturers train skilled welders, preparing healthcare workers for rural communities or developing custom training programs for growing industries, our colleges provide practical solutions that strengthen local economies and help businesses remain competitive. As industries evolve, we evolve alongside them, keeping Wisconsin's workforce famous for our grit, skill and ingenuity.
But our mission extends beyond workforce training.
Every day, our colleges serve people brave enough to seek a better future. Some are starting over after a layoff or military discharge. Others are the first in their families to go to college and some are parents working toward a better future for their children. Technical colleges help turn aspiration into opportunity.
The need for that opportunity has never been greater.
Technology is transforming jobs. Healthcare providers and childcare centers face ongoing staffing shortages. Manufacturers are searching for skilled workers. Public safety agencies need qualified personnel. Across Wisconsin, employers are asking technical colleges to help solve very specific workforce challenges, and our colleges must have the resources necessary to respond.
Meeting those needs requires more than classrooms and textbooks. Relevant technical education depends on specialized equipment, industry-standard laboratories, simulation technology, mobile training units and facilities that mirror modern workplaces.
An investment in technical colleges is an investment in local communities. It is an investment in employers searching for skilled workers. It is an investment in students striving for economic mobility. It is an investment in stronger families, stronger businesses and a stronger Wisconsin.
The question today is not whether Wisconsin can afford to invest in technical education. The question is whether we can afford not to.
With continued support and investment, Wisconsin's technical colleges will remain a place where talent is developed, futures are transformed and employers find the workforce they need to succeed. Together, we can build a Wisconsin where opportunity is within reach for every learner, every employer and every community.
Lindsay Blumer is the interim president of the Wisconsin Technical College System Board. She is president and CEO at IMPACT, Inc., a Milwaukee-based organization helping people achieve positive, sustained change.
About the Wisconsin Technical College System
The Wisconsin Technical College System (WTCS) offers more than 500 programs awarding two-year associate degrees, one- and two-year technical diplomas, short-term technical diplomas, certificates and related education for apprenticeships. The System is the major provider of customized instruction and technical assistance for Wisconsin employers. With more than 293,000 people enrolling in a technical college each year, it is the largest higher education system in the state.
###
