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NWTC president highlights Sturgeon Bay nursing pathway, employer-aligned training and local micro-credentials
Summary
Northeast Wisconsin Technical College President Kristen Rainey told the Door County Board that NWTC’s Sturgeon Bay campus offers a nursing pathway and new micro-credentials tied to local employers; she cited 2023 placement and satisfaction outcomes and outlined partnerships with Door County Medical Center and area manufacturers.
Kristen Rainey, president of Northeast Wisconsin Technical College, told the Door County Board on June 24 that NWTC is focused on programs matched to local employer needs and expanding access in Door County through the Sturgeon Bay campus. "Of our 2023 graduates, 93 percent were working full time within six months of graduation," Rainey said, adding that about 62 percent of graduates stay to work in the district and that entry-level median annual pay is just under $53,000.
Rainey said NWTC emphasizes healthcare and advanced manufacturing, noting that the college graduates more nurses than any other technical college in Wisconsin and offers a certified-to-registered nursing pathway available in Sturgeon Bay. She described partnerships that place NWTC graduates with local employers, including Door County Medical Center for nursing and allied-health positions, and employer-tailored upskilling programs for firms such as Fincantieri and Bay Ship.
Board members pressed for specifics during a question-and-answer session. Rainey and Scott Anderson, NWTC associate vice president for academic affairs, described apprenticeship and youth-apprenticeship work: "We work very closely" with CESA 7 and union partners, Anderson said, and NWTC is piloting apprenticeship-style pathways in early childhood education and healthcare to address local workforce shortages.
Rainey acknowledged program adjustments driven by enrollment. She said the diesel mechanic program was moved to Green Bay because Sturgeon Bay did not sustain sufficient local enrollment; students can still complete initial diesel coursework locally through articulated high-school programs but must travel for the full program.
Rainey also highlighted noncredit supports that aim to foster small-business and entrepreneurial activity in the county: licensed commercial kitchens in Sister Bay and Sturgeon Bay available to food entrepreneurs, a learning-and-retirement program with hundreds of members, and a recent rollout of micro-credentials (welding fundamentals, blueprint reading, stick/aluminum/TIG welding) and short-term training for incumbent workers.
The presentation emphasized disability and adult-education supports available locally: NWTC provides disability services, ESL and HSED offerings through the Wisconsin Technical College System, and tailored plans to make classes accessible. Rainey invited board members and residents to follow-up and participate in planned community listening sessions at the Sturgeon Bay campus to identify unmet training needs.
The board did not take action; the presentation concluded with NWTC staff offering follow-up contact information and commitments to work with county employers and education partners.
