Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development

GOVERNOR PRESENTS AUGUST WIN AWARD

MADISON—Gov. Tommy G. Thompson today announced that Oshkosh Coil Spring Inc. is being presented the Governor’s Workforce Innovation Award (WIN), which recognizes individuals and organizations that create innovative approaches and outside-of-the-box solutions to develop and sustain Wisconsin’s workforce.

"Like many Wisconsin businesses, Oshkosh Coil Spring Inc. experiences the challenges of today’s tight labor market," Gov. Thompson said. "Instead of succumbing to those challenges, this company attacks them head-on by adapting existing strategies and creating new ones that allow them to fully utilize their available workforce."

Oshkosh Coil Spring Inc. makes a concerted effort to tap into a non-traditional workforce that is often overlooked or underutilized in their type of industry by seeking out immigrant and women workers. Of their workforce, about 40 percent are females, and 30 percent are non-English speaking refugees (Iraqi, Albanians, Kurds, Hmongs, Estonians, Russians, Bosnians and non refugee- Hispanics).

The company has a customized training program for their employees. The training has three phases and includes English as a Second Language, Teaching Basics of Spring Making, and Teaching Machine Specific Skills. It allows the employee to continue to improve and to advance within the company to their maximum potential. This is especially critical for Oshkosh Coil Spring Inc. due to a lack of training for coil/spring making in the local area. On July 1, 2000 the company broke ground on a new $1.6 million 34,000 square foot building addition, and they will add another 115 employees over the next 3-4 years.

Oshkosh Coil Spring Inc. works in partnership with the City of Oshkosh, Department of Commerce, and the Department of Workforce Development. The company demonstrates how a private-for-profit corporation can team up with the public sector to meet the employment needs of the community.

The WIN award is presented each month to highlight innovative approaches and solutions to overcoming barriers to work, empowering individuals to move up the job ladder, and partnering with employers, educators and local government to do what works to build a stronger workforce. The award goes to organizations and individuals that significantly advance one or more of the following:

• Enhance the skill level of Wisconsin's workforce.
• Create effective partnerships between education and business, and the public and private sectors.
• Assist young people with career planning and skills training.
• Encourage older workers to remain in or return to the workforce.
• Help low-income, disabled and minority individuals enter the job market and move up the job ladder.

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