Bridging the Gap between Curricula and Industry needs in the Wisconsin Technical College System (USA)

The Wisconsin Technical College System (WTCS) uses a number of approaches to meet the needs of employers. These approaches include program advisory committees, employer surveys, DACUMs, career pathways, internships, apprenticeships and graduate outcomes reports. The graduate outcomes reports include the percentage of graduates working in their designated fields, locations of graduates, and annual salaries as well as employer satisfaction with WTCS graduates. The 2019 Graduate Outcomes demonstrated that 93 percent of WTCS graduates were employed with an average salary of $42,006 six months after graduation.

Speaker Biography

Dr. Julie Furst-Bowe is the academic Vice President at Chippewa Valley Technical College, one of the colleges in the Wisconsin Technical College System (USA). Previous to her role in the state technical college system, Dr. Furst-Bowe served as Provost at the University of Wisconsin-Stout and Chancellor at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. Julie earned her doctorate in Work, Family and Community Education at the University of Minnesota and has published and presented internationally on the topic of quality improvement in higher education.