Northwood Technical College presents enrollment gains and housing-linked training project in Hayward

John Will, president of Northwood Technical College, told the Sawyer County Board that the college serves roughly 14,000 individuals across its four campuses and outreach sites and remains focused on workforce development in the region. "We serve 14,000 individuals, on an annual basis throughout the area," Will said, and he cited employment outcomes: "In our most recent graduate follow-up survey, 93 percent of our graduates were employed within 6 months of graduation." Will said average starting pay for graduates in the highlighted programs was about $54,600 and detailed top programs ranging from criminal justice to health-care training and advanced manufacturing.

Will described a multi-site HOME (Housing Opportunity Mobile Education) project tied to workforce training that the college helped design as part of a larger, regional grant. He said the original workforce innovation grant was $10,000,000 and that the grant included roughly $6,000,000 in equity for three northern Wisconsin projects; combined project costs across the three sites were about $46,000,000. In Hayward, the college will have classroom and community room space inside a community building adjacent to the housing development; Will described 53-foot mobile labs (welding, mechatronics, dental and advanced manufacturing) that will bring hands-on training to communities that lack facilities.

Will said Northwood Tech’s district-wide focus includes flexibility for students who take courses across campuses or online and work with local high schools for dual-credit programs. He highlighted local participation numbers, noting 733 Sawyer County residents took Northwood Tech courses last year, roughly "1 in 25 people" in the county, and that 176 high school students took at least one course through the college. Will said the college will open a public survey in April as part of a new strategic planning process and intends town-hall style meetings next September.

Board members asked about the college’s taxing and governance structure; Will said the statutes establish an appointed board, with county chairs participating in appointment, and clarified that counties are involved in the appointment process. On construction timing for the Hayward housing project, Will said he was not the developer but believed the project was roughly a year behind schedule and likely on track for a summer completion and possible spring move-ins.

What happens next: Will invited local participation in the college's strategic-plan outreach and said staff would present more details as the housing and training components progress.