Grant Emmel

Grant Emmel is faculty in the Electronics Technology and Electrical Engineering Technology programs within the Madison College School of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math and has been teaching at Madison College for the last twelve years. While Grant has spent the better part of forty years designing high performance instrumentation in both the private and research communities, the last three years Grant has been focused on how the college would address the workforce needs of emerging technologies, such as in the semiconductor, quantum, fusion, and advanced electronic manufacturing industries. He has brought to bear his master’s degree from UW-Platteville in Systems Engineering to try and understand the substiles and broad implications of creating training for a workforce that does not yet exist.

The technical college historically addresses workforce from a mature economic perspective, that is, jobs exist, which is not the case for emerging technologies. However, there are many signs that indicate the need for workforce is coming. Additionally, at the technician level, significant knowledge, skills, and abilities are shared between mature and emerging technologies. Thus, prudentially creating workforce pathways can reduce the apparent administrative risk and provide the support for economic development.

This strategy can only be executed with a collaborative approach between manufacturers, faculty and administrators who are relational and invested in workforce success. Also, the perceived barrier between short-term non-credit training and semester long for-credit coursework needs to be smoothly addressed so that students, who are incredibly transactional, can work toward certifications leading to good paying jobs.