The Manufacturing Business Alliance of the Dodge County Region began in 2012 when a group of manufacturers and educators got together to talk about the difficulties local manufacturers had in getting individuals to understand that manufacturing jobs led to careers.

Out of the brainstorming session, they decided to create a Manufacturing Business Alliance where manufacturers collaborate with educators to share their story with area High School students. Currently 8 area school districts participate in scheduling workplace tours for interested students (a total of 240 students participated in 2022).  These are work-based learning experiences allowing students to observe and explore other occupations on-site. The experiences have led students to learn more about area workplaces that they may not have had an awareness or interest in previously, to complete youth apprenticeships at local manufacturing businesses, and to apply for employment.

Local Dodge County High Schools organize career fairs to allow students to make face-to-face, real-time connections with employers seeking the talent they need for jobs and internships. Students have the opportunity to get comfortable presenting themselves, learn about potential positions and career opportunities, and become familiar with local employers. We partner with employers from varying industries, and our events and workshops are for both employers and students to learn, network, interview for positions, and more.

Benefits

• Provide an exposure to careers and jobs in the actual work setting.
• Expands student learning beyond the walls of the classroom into the local community.
• Provide students with experiences and perspectives that are not possible to duplicate in the classroom.
• Allows students to gain realistic perspectives on expectations in a job and/or career field and the workplace requirements.
• Supplements information that can be obtained through other work awareness and work exploration strategies.
• Allow more informal, personal interaction and conversation between the business tour/field trip guide than traditional classroom presentations.
• Provide an opportunity to develop students’ career readiness skills, including communicating effectively and appropriately (speaking, professional etiquette), personal responsibility, etc.
• Provides information on the industry, types of careers and occupations, knowledge and skills requirements and work processes in the actual work setting.
• Students learn the importance of thinking about career development through the career path stories their tour guides share.

MBA members:

• Apache Stainless – Beaver Dam
• Breuer Metal – Beaver Dam
• EK Machine – Fall River
• John Deere – Horicon
• Johnsonville – Watertown
• Karavan – Fox Lake
• Lyco – Columbus
• MEC – Beaver Dam and Mayville
• Metalcraft – Beaver Dam and Mayville
• Richelieu – Beaver Dam
• Schumann Printers – Fall River
• Specialty Cheese - Reeseville