WCTC drops printing and publishing program

Waukesha County Technical College is dropping its printing and publishing program, which was one of the largest programs of its kind in Wisconsin, and it is launching an associate degree in manufacturing engineering technology.

The WCTC printing program was created in 1998 to help fill a need for skilled labor in the industry that was growing at a rapid clip.

For about 10 years, enrollment climbed. Nearly 10,000 students have gone through the printing and publishing courses, certificates and related classes.

“It certainly was one of the largest printing programs in the state. We definitely had the best facility for printing and certainly the best equipment and technology,” said Mike Shiels, the program’s first full-time instructor and now dean of the college’s applied technologies department.

The college kept pace with printing and graphic arts technology, including areas such as flexography, but by 2010 the student enrollment began to decline, reflecting a downturn in the industry.

“We weren’t able to generate the numbers of incoming students we needed,” Shiels said.

“The enrollments weren’t there. We tried numerous things over the years to reinvigorate the program. We offered more flexographic training, and we tried dual enrollment with high schools,” he added.

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There’s still strong employer demand for the program’s graduates, according to Shiels, but the student enrollment hasn’t recovered.

The college is dropping its printing program in May 2018. There are about 40 students currently in it, and they will be given enough time to finish their degrees.

“We are working with each student, individually, to ensure they get the courses they need,” Shiels said.

This fall, the college will launch its manufacturing engineering technology program that includes courses such as manufacturing processes and product design.

The college worked with area employers, including printers, to design the curriculum.

NCL Graphic Specialties Inc. of Waukesha said it was disappointed that the college was discontinuing the printing program, but it hopes the new program will meet its needs.

“The college has been very upfront with us, and it’s worked with us to still have something for print,” said Renee Luedke, human resources recruiter for NCL.

The college says it’s changing with the times, coming up with courses that meet employers’ needs and give students the skills they need for careers in advanced manufacturing.

The new program is “a little bit of everything. The key behind this is that many employers, as they continue to look at how to produce work more efficiently, are looking for that manufacturing engineering technician to help,” Shiels said.

The college says it’s working to set up course credits that are transferrable to other colleges, with classes starting in August.

As it winds down the printing program, the college says it will sell some of the equipment and keep some of it for the manufacturing engineering classes.

Quad/Graphics Inc., based in Sussex, gave $1 million to the college to help buy equipment such as digital-imaging presses, and for scholarships and instructor training.

In addition, press manufacturer Heidelberg USA donated the use of a $475,000 digital-imaging press in the name of the late Harry V. Quadracci, founder of Quad/Graphics. There were numerous other large donations, too, including $100,000 from Time Inc.

The college named its printing facility the Harry V. Quadracci Printing and Graphic Arts Center.

Quad/Graphics has 15 plants in Wisconsin where it employs 7,400 people.

The company says it supports the changes that will result in the manufacturing engineering technology program.

The new program will help address the skills gap in areas like automation and robotics, said company Chairman, President and CEO Joel Quadracci.

That’s where the company wants the college to focus, he said, while it also offers training in Six Sigma and other credentials important to printers and manufacturers.

Mark Little, director of manufacturing for Tailored Label Products in Menomonee Falls also said he was supportive of the change.

"When I first heard that WCTC was considering this program I was skeptical.  After recently hearing about the new curriculum I can say I am no longer worried. For obvious reasons I am committed to this program as I currently employ over a dozen full time employees that are graduates of the late printing and publishing program. But the Manufacturing Engineering Technologies program offers many new and better options for our, and other area businesses," Little said.

"Teaching Safety, Lean, 5S, and ISO to potential employees at Tailored Label Products is something far more valuable than basic printing skills. Students can pick these skills up during their internship or after we have hired them. We are excited to see what the future brings with the graduates from this program two years from now," he added.

Printing and publishing is still one of the largest employment industries in Waukesha County. In some areas there are more jobs than there were years ago.

“But with changes in technology, and the overall decrease in print volume, it has changed the way we look at that program,” Shiels said.