Take a drive along Main Street in Marinette and, nestled between the fire department and Saint James Lutheran Church, you will find the North Coast Marine Manufacturing Training Center® (NCMMTC®). This is NWTC’s only building completely dedicated to upskilling and training incumbent workers—and it’s about to get an upgrade.
The center was opened in early 2012 when college and community leaders recognized that the area’s training needs had outgrown available space. Founded to support the growing maritime trades industry in the area, the center has served over 11,175 maritime workers over the last nine years.
The center, led by the NWTC Corporate Training & Economic Development department, continues to serve some of the nation’s largest maritime industry manufacturers. To keep up with the training needs of such a large industry, it was time to give the NCMMTC® its first update in nine years.
Recently, the college approved the addition of another welding shop at the NCMMTC®. The new shop will include 10 weld booths with lighting, exhaust modifications, new tools, and additional storage. This additional space will decrease wait times for weld tests, offer more available space when companies need it, and reduce down-time needed to change set-ups between trainings. This will allow instructors to focus more on instruction and increase the number of workers trained.
Brian Lancour, CTED’s Northern Account Representative, shared that, “This is an exciting time for NWTC and the Marinette community. Investing in a second weld lab at NCMMTC® will allow us to train more workers as they seek advancement and to support local businesses in upskilling their workforce. In addition, now we can serve multiple businesses in different welding labs at the same time, which we couldn’t do in the past.”
The ability to serve different businesses is key to the growth of the NCMMTC® and to the success of employers in the area. While the center remains a leader in maritime and weld training, the CTED staff have continued to develop training programs outside of the maritime industry. By diversifying, NWTC strengthens more area businesses and helps drive the growth and success of Marinette and surrounding communities.
The NCMMTC® provides training and education in automation, electromechanical, computers, machining, and more. Additionally, our instructors deliver non-technical training like essential employability skills, personal performance, and leadership training. NWTC’s customizable training offerings make it convenient for organizations to offer the training at their own location or at the NWTC facility.
