This week, Northeast Wisconsin Technical College (NWTC) received the inaugural Workplace Diversity and Inclusion Award from the Green Bay chapter of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). This honor recognizes the great strides NWTC has made to infuse equity into the budget process, increase workforce diversity through intentional recruitment and retention strategies, and act as a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) leader in the community.
"A DEI journey can be an incredible growth period for an organization," said GB SHRM president Pam Berkovitz. "It's a journey where everyone is at a different point on their path."
As the College continues to advance in its DEI journey, we are proud to work with dedicated community partners to create a sense of belonging in Northeast Wisconsin. To create a workforce reflective of our student population, NWTC created the Equity in Hiring process, which brings the conversation of racial equity to the forefront of every job opening and onboarding experience. To build on the early successes of the Equity in Hiring process, NWTC is now adding "Voices of Equity" to our hiring panels. These “Voices” will play a crucial role within the hiring process. Serving as DEI champions, these trained professionals will focus on ensuring candidates bring equity-driven qualifications to their role at the college. The impacts of these new initiatives have been far-reaching – going further than simple policy changes.
"Through the Equity in Hiring process, NWTC has experienced a tremendous shift in culture," said Mohammed Bey, chief officer of DEI. "We've reframed our focus on diversity to include shared goals and accountability and moved away from divisive concepts like 'affirmative action' hiring."
NWTC engages in this work because we feel it is the right thing to do; we do not set out to win awards. Being recognized by the Green Bay chapter of the Society for Human Resource Management shows that other community organizations see value in this journey. We are truly humbled and honored.
