IN FOCUS— Industries like manufacturing and transportation faced worker shortages even before the pandemic hit, and technical colleges have been working with those industries to get more young people into those careers.

“Many of these careers and opportunities are simply not visible to students… We need to take the affirmative to help them understand what technical careers look like," said Dr. Christopher Matheny, executive vice president at Fox Valley Technical College.

Matheny says 93% of their students are employed six months after graduating, with 84% of them finding work in their field of study.