Moving Forward

Anyone with doubts about the economy, our future and the next generation of workers should do what I did recently: Spend some time on the farm. I visited the Crave Brothers Dairy Farm in Waterloo, and it was a trip back to the future, reinforcing Governor Doyle’s point that agriculture is our heritage and our future.

The Crave Brothers farm was the site of the 2009 Wisconsin Farm Technology Days. The family dairy operation not only produces award winning cheese, it is a clean, green energy source. An anaerobic digester turns farm waste into methane gas, enough to generate electricity for the farm, its modern cheese factory and 120 homes.

The farm represents the future in another respect. For a number of years, it has been a participating employer in our Youth Apprenticeship program. It’s hard to imagine a better place to train the next generation of skilled workers that our agricultural sector needs to remain successful and grow. With one of the owners, Mark Crave, as my guide, I took a tour of the farm, and I met Brian Crave, Mark’s nephew and the latest apprentice in training. Many students in the Youth Apprenticeship agricultural production program are family members. Youth Apprenticeship provides a formal, structured approach to training and opens the door to career pathways in the new rural economy. Brian is well on his way.

From Waterloo, I traveled to Eagle, where I visited Generac Power Systems, another employer participating in our Youth Apprenticeship. Like agriculture, manufacturing is our heritage and future, too. Generac is a leading manufacturer of electrical generators, and at its Eagle site, I met four student apprentices engaged in all phases of production. Each is gaining valuable work experience and learning the latest skills in advanced manufacturing, all while earning a paycheck. While at Generac, I also met Youth Apprenticeship graduate, Kevin Gatling, now a full-time Generac employee enrolled in the Adult Apprenticeship program.

In visiting the Crave Bothers farm, Generac and other Youth Apprenticeship sites, it’s easy to see why the program is so successful and popular among students, employers, educators and our local partners in workforce development.

Under Governor Doyle’s leadership, funding for the program has increased substantially, providing many students with school-to-career opportunities. And it’s a program that continues to draw national attention. Take, for example, a recent book by Robert Halpern, a professor at the Erikson Institute in Chicago and an expert on youth services and development, which highlights Wisconsin's program as one to emulate because of its statewide, structured approach.

Youth Apprenticeship is one of our programs and services we provide, and I thank you for all you do to provide them and help ensure a skilled workforce, both now and  for generations to come.

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