Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), co-chair of the Senate Career and Technical Education Caucus, recently visited the Bay Link Manufacturing program at Green Bay West High School, which provides students with hands-on learning opportunities in advanced manufacturing. The program is a collaborative effort among the Green Bay School District, Northeast Wisconsin Technical College and the NEW Manufacturing Alliance, and provides critical technical and employability skills to students in an engaging and fun environment.
Baldwin recounted her experience in a recent op-ed article, in which she described the way that her visit further cemented her support for CTE programs in the Senate. She stated that:
“I couldn't be more proud of the work programs like these are doing to help move our Made in Wisconsin economy forward and it reaffirmed my commitment to continue fighting for investments in education and workforce readiness programs.”
Baldwin also used the article as an opportunity to reiterate the broad skill sets that students gain by participating in CTE programs. Bay Link Manufacturing teaches the competencies that are needed in skilled trades, including industrial welding and machine fabrication, but also includes work on accounting, marketing and production planning.
Senator Baldwin has been an invaluable and consistent partner to the CTE community in her work, and articles like hers are fantastic opportunities to raise public awareness of what today’s CTE classroom looks like. To learn more about placing your own op-eds and other ways to get involved, visit the ACTE Advocacy Toolkit here.