Contact: Gary Kohn
(608) 757-7769 or cell (608) 436-9578
gkohn@blackhawk.edu
JANESVILLE, WI – Blackhawk Technical College will celebrate the third annual National Manufacturing Day on Friday, Oct. 3, by hosting six area high schools on guided tours of its three Advanced Manufacturing and Transportation campus sites.
Students from Beloit Turner, Janesville Charter, and Janesville Parker high schools will see the Advanced Manufacturing and Transportation facilities at BTC’s Central Campus and the Center for Transportation Studies in Janesville, plus the new Advanced Manufacturing Training Center in Milton.
National Manufacturing Day was instituted in 2012 by a group of manufacturing organizations to dispel the myth that manufacturing jobs were manned by low skilled workers in dark and unsafe environments. It is a coordinated effort to show that manufacturing is now technologically advanced business that provides well-paying and secure employment.
It also is an effort to encourage young students to consider advanced schooling leading to careers in manufacturing, which is in need of highly skilled and educated workers.
Students will be divided into three tour groups and spend about 30 minutes at each of the sites. Tours will begin at 9 a.m. and end at approximately 11:30 a.m. In addition to walking through the facilities, BTC instructors and staff will be available for questions and to provide insight into the academic requirements in a variety of programs.
BTC’s Advanced Manufacturing and Transportation division offers 15 courses of study. Five provide associate degrees; three offer two-year technical diplomas; four provide one-year technical diplomas; and three are certificate programs.
The focal point of the program is the Milton facility, which opened in August and currently houses the Welding, CNC and Industrial Mechanic programs. Other Advanced Manufacturing programs are scheduled to transfer operations to the Milton facility at the start of the 2015-16 school year. The Center for Transportation Studies is the site of the Diesel and Heavy Equipment Technician and Automotive Technician programs.
ABOUT BLACKHAWK TECHNICAL COLLEGE
Blackhawk Technical College is part of the Wisconsin Technical College System. BTC has five campus locations in Monroe, Beloit and Janesville, WI offering more than 50 programs including two-year associate degrees, one- and two-year technical diplomas and short-term technical diplomas. In addition, BTC is a major provider of customized training and technical assistance for the Rock and Green County business community. More than half of all adults living in Wisconsin have accessed the technical colleges for education and training during the last decade.
