WTCS leaders looking ahead to Wisconsin’s workforce future

The morning after the Milwaukee Brewers punched their ticket to the World Series with a 6-4 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers, leaders from Wisconsin's 16 technical colleges gathered for a different kind of high-stakes battle: keeping Wisconsin's workers and economy competitive in a rapidly changing world.

Against a backdrop of demographic decline, rising costs and persistent workforce shortages, college leaders convened their second WTCS Forecasting Summit to discuss what comes next for higher education and workforce development in Wisconsin. The themes that emerged throughout the day were clear: adaptation and opportunity.

Serving nearly 300,000 students annually, Wisconsin's technical colleges sit at the intersection of education and workforce development. The average technical college student is 27 years old. Many are balancing classes with careers, raising kids and managing the everyday realities of adult life. They are not solely preparing for their future; they are building it while already living in it.

Like employers across the state, technical colleges have responded to rising costs through cost cutting and reduced staffing. They have formed consortia to increase purchasing power, reformed their processes, changed commodities sourcing, sold land and buildings. Yet leaders recognize that those measures alone will not address the long-term pressures ahead, as funding stagnates and demand for their services continues to grow.

Leaders heard economic forecasts showing Wisconsin is mired in a workforce shortage that touches every aspect of our lives: nurses and lab technicians, electricians and machinists, teachers and bus drivers, childcare workers and cybersecurity experts--all in short supply. Current data show the state is 90,000 workers short of available jobs year after year, with flat growth going forward. That is a challenge for our employers, our economy, our tax base and our quality of life.

Meeting that challenge will require creativity, innovation, and a bold vision to create much more flexible, nimble education systems that match people with the skills and jobs Wisconsin most desperately needs, stretching budgets to serve as many Wisconsinites as possible. The work is already underway.
WTCS colleges are leaning into new credentials, competency-based education, seamless transfer, and even more creative cost savings solutions, including strategically rethinking how to deploy resources, staff and programming. Some programs will end, some buildings will close and some students will encounter wait lists. As the System continues to cut costs and become more efficient, the colleges are also focused on investments in the highest paying jobs, most critical community needs, most effective student support services, and reducing duplication by thinking regionally.

The Wisconsin Technical College System's current biennial budget request reflects both the rising cost of maintaining high-quality programs, the intense need for high demand skills, and strategic investments designed to strengthen Wisconsin's talent pipeline.

More than 16,000 students enrolled in Wisconsin technical colleges already hold bachelor's degrees or higher and have returned to strengthen their skills, change careers, or pursue emerging opportunities. In close partnership with K-12, nearly 68,000 high school students pursue workforce credentials or college credit every year through a technical college. And 33,000 adults who never completed high school are getting back on track at a technical college every year. However, another 300,000 adults in Wisconsin never completed high school and are not yet pursuing more skills and education. Around 190,000 high school students are not yet participating in dual enrollment. Neither group is currently supported with dedicated state funding. With a state-local partnership, more Wisconsinites could jump start their education and careers.

College leaders also emphasized the value of targeted investments in critical sectors such as advanced manufacturing, healthcare, information technology and other high-demand industries. Strategic grants and expansion initiatives would allow colleges to respond more quickly to employer needs and help workers gain the skills required by this ever-changing economy.

While discussing future investments, college leaders also highlighted the work already happening across the System. Colleges continue to share resources, collaborate across districts, embrace artificial intelligence and technology to improve operations, and make difficult decisions about program offerings. In some cases, colleges have discontinued programs despite strong enrollment and employer demand, because graduate earnings did not justify the cost to students.

The focus is not simply on enrollment. It is on results.

The road ahead will be bumpy. Demographic trends and inflation pressures are real. But college leaders left the meeting united in their belief that Wisconsin's future depends on investing in people, creating pathways to opportunity, and building the skilled workforce that will power our state's future.

Together, Wisconsin's technical colleges will continue to move the state forward, one student, one credential, and one career at a time.

About the Wisconsin Technical College System
The Wisconsin Technical College System (WTCS) offers more than 500 programs awarding two-year associate degrees, one- and two-year technical diplomas, short-term technical diplomas, certificates and related education for apprenticeships. The System is the major provider of customized instruction and technical assistance for Wisconsin employers. With nearly 300,000 people enrolling in a technical college each year, it is the largest higher education system in the state.

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