William Smith found out about the boot camp by accident.  Working on his resume while at the Racine County Workforce Development Center, he heard some-one ask about an application for the boot camp.  His interest grew, he went to find out how he could apply and wound up with the last application.  He had no back-ground in welding but was extremely interested in gaining a new skill that he could take with him anywhere.  “This is a tough job market,” said Smith, “and I am grateful to be in this amazing program learning new skills.”  Smith appreciates the experience the boot camp offers.  “We have a lot of lab time,” says Smith, “that is great, and what makes it even better is that we are always  ...  read more

The Workforce Development Center,staff and its programs have been our way of recruitment for many new welders. We will continue to utilize these programs in the future.

We were recently faced with the lack of a well trained workforce while trying to keep up with our customer orders.  We turned to the Workforce Development Center for help recruiting over 30 CNC operators, set up people and maintenance technicians.  The Center offered Business Services Professionals, Center leaders and other community partners to meet with our management...read more

Charlie Johnson of Racine finds joy in learning with others of all ages.  “I really like the design of the boot camp…from meeting new people…to learning new skills…to mentoring the younger students…and having very helpful instructors…it’s a good mix,” said Johnson.  Johnson has experience in welding and enrolled in the boot camp to get certified. He has taken many courses over the years, so returning to the classroom was not difficult. What he found challenging was the amount of studying required outside the classroom.  “We easily have 2-3 hours of studying outside the classroom for every hour we have inside the classroom,” stated Johnson, “but there is excellent tutoring and extra lab time ... read more

So far my time at Protech has been an interesting dichotomy.   What has been invaluable to me are the contacts, friendships and support that I have received from people that have come into this group.  The array of disciplines represented in this gathering have expanded my network of people that are not ordinarily in my HR and Higher Education field.

Peer review of personal marketing materials (résumé, business cards, etc.) by those who are into the same difficult job market lends itself to a higher degree of specificity and refinement.  I am now even more confident in my ability to find meaningful employment ... read more

I feel that ProTech has helped by putting me in touch with fellow job seekers who have supplied me with valuable advice regarding my job search.  Linda and Marlene always have interesting topics with helpful tips and information.  The environment is very positive and upbeat.  I am pleased that Workforce Development offers such a great support group for all of the people currently in transition.

"Getting accepted to the CNC Boot Camp was the best thing that ever happened to me.  I was stuck in dead-end jobs for my entire adult life until I was accepted into the Boot Camp program.  I wanted to be a machinist for years, but companies don't hire anybody without experience anymore, and I couldn't afford to be out of work for a year or two to take the courses to get an accredited certification from school.  The CNC Boot Camp gave me the opportunity to support my family without struggling to make ends meet.  Now I'm going back to school to get my Technical Diploma as a CNC Production Technician.  I'll be able to program, set-up, and operate ... read more

I just can't say enough about the value of Pro-Tech to myself and other job seekers!!!!

The meetings provide a unique opportunity to collectively network with other job seekers and explore resources available to aid in our job search. The guest speakers that have been part of the meetings are knowledgeable in a variety of areas pertinent to our group.

The Workforce Development Staff has also integrated seamlessly to further assist us in being "well armed" for our search. Finding ... read more

Given our experience with the recruitment assistance, subsidized work experience and training support from the Workforce Development staff, we are certain to maintain an ongoing relationship with this agency for our future employment needs.