NADO’s 2012 Innovation Awards recognized 64 projects from 22 states for their creative approaches to regional community and economic development, including the project described below. Click here for the full list of winners.

The North Central Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission (NCWRPC) aims to address an aging workforce in the forestry and wood products industry, which provides nearly one in five jobs in the region, with the Wood Technology Center of Excellence. The center, a 22,000-square-foot facility that opened in 2011, provides forestry workforce training to the next generation of skilled employees and will make the industry more competitive. Over 50 students enrolled in the first year, and regional firms also use the facility for staff training. NCWRPC, which facilitated the grant and initial development process, will maintain the center and provide continued educational programming. The project used grant funds to leverage a variety of funding from federal, state, county, and local sources.

Dennis Lawrence, Executive Director: dlawrence@ncwrpc.org
715-849-5510

http://www.ntc.edu/centers-excellence/wood-technology.html