Blackhawk Tech celebrates launch of manufacturing careers

JANESVILLE — Beloit Memorial High School senior Manny Vargas loves to learn — about certain things in certain ways.

“I love trouble-shooting stuff, figuring out how things work, but I don’t like classrooms, and I wanted to get paid to learn,” Vargas said.

Vargas was one of 19 students celebrated by the Stateline Manufacturing Alliance Thursday morning at Blackhawk Technical College either for accepting new jobs or, in Vargas’ case, accepting an apprentice position, from eight different companies.

It’s the fourth time the college and SMA has held a “Manufacturing Signing Day,” at Blackhawk Tech., an athletic college scholarship style signing day ceremony to highlight graduates of its various vocational training programs.

Vargas’ journey to Thursday’s signing as a registered apprentice at Frito-Lay started with the Craftsman With Character program developed in Edgerton and adopted by Beloit Memorial and several other area schools. It is a 16-week program where students leave school and spend time at different manufacturing positions, shadowing professionals and having hands-on training.

“That helped really get a gist of what was around here, what was available,” Vargas said. That’s where he first became acquainted with Frito-Lay.

Vargas then joined the Youth Apprentice program, which included more time at Frito-Lay, started taking advanced manufacturing classes through Blackhawk Tech and welding, auto technician and construction classes at Beloit Memorial as part of the school’s Public Service, Automotive, Construction, Manufacturing, Engineering, and Science (PACMES) Academy.

He had to apply for the registered apprenticeship at Frito-Lay and beat out several other candidates. It is a five-year commitment that includes the company paying for him to finish his manufacturing education at Blackhawk Tech. When he’s done, he’ll have skills that can carry him far at Frito-Lay or any other industry that relies on automation.

“I got the call coming back from Chicago and it was overwhelming,” Vargas said. “I didn’t really know what to say. I was like, ‘can we talk about this when I get to work tomorrow?’”

Over the past 15 years, high schools have been increasingly investing in technical education, creating partnerships similar to the ones celebrated Thursday morning. According to the U.S. Department of Education, states increased spending on technical education by an average of $182 million from 2012 to 2022.

This month, Blackhawk had 56 students graduate from its manufacturing degree programs. It has 155 students in its pipeline for the fall — students who have started an application, been admitted or are registered. Twenty-seven of those are from the Beloit area, including 18 from Beloit Memorial High School.

When those students graduate they will have plenty of opportunity. Manufacturing companies are having increasing trouble filling open positions as the Baby Boomer generation passes into retirement. The unemployment rate in Rock County as of March was just 4.0% and, according to Indeed.com, there are more than 1,000 manufacturing jobs open in the county today. According to state estimates, about 17% of Rock County works in manufacturing.

“The manufacturing field in Wisconsin is one of the highest — top three — in careers here in Wisconsin so we have to find ways to continue to support that,” said David Polk, Wisconsin’s director of the Bureau of Apprenticeship Standards. Polk was the morning’s featured speaker.

Manufacturing Day Signees

Edgerton Gear, Edgerton — Trevor Gilbertson, Edgerton High School.

Frito-Lay (Beloit) — Kyle Schliem, internal Frito-Lay candidate; Manny Vargas, Beloit Memorial.

Jones Dairy Farm, Fort Atkinson — Mason Shuppe, Fort Atkinson High School.

The Morse Group, Beloit — Brady Jones, Janesville Craig; Corbin Kersten, Milton.

Pieper Electric, Janesville — Owen Longhenry, Milton.

Scot Forge, Clinton — Wyatt Burt, Clinton; Bruce Cappis, Janesville Craig; Adrean Casique, Lincoln Academy; Ty Feibel, Clinton; Josiah Nowak, homeschooled.

Stoughton Trailers, Stoughton — Grace Braund, Stoughton; Adelyn Clark, Lincoln Academy.

United Alloy, Janesville — Sam Doll, Edgerton; Ryan Erickson, Janesville Parker; Ethan Husen, Janesville Parker; Anibal Negron, Janesville Parker; Aiden Pacheco, Janesville Craig.