WCTC, Wisconsin Technical College System Board present Eaton with Futuremaker Partner Award

Pictured, from left, are Morna Foy, Ph.D.,  Wisconsin Technical College System; Raghu Subramaniyam, Jackie Pride and Aly Scharf, Eaton; S. Mark Tyler, Wisconsin Technical College System Board; and Richard Barnhouse, Ph.D., Waukesha County Technical College. 

PEWAUKEE, Wis. (Wednesday, July 12, 2023) – Waukesha County Technical College (WCTC), in conjunction with the Wisconsin Technical College System (WTCS) Board, has awarded Waukesha-based Eaton Corporation with a 2023 Futuremaker Partner Award. This prestigious award, established by the system in 2009, is presented four times each year and recognizes the unique, long-standing connections between the state’s employers and Wisconsin’s technical colleges.

WCTC President Richard Barnhouse, Ph.D. and WTCS Board Vice President S. Mark Tyler presented the award to Raghu Subramaniyam, the plant manager at Eaton’s largest manufacturing facility in Waukesha, July 11 at a board meeting held at the WCTC campus.

Eaton is a multinational power management company with its power systems division headquartered in Waukesha, Wis. The company operates through various segments, including electrical products, systems and services; aerospace; and others. Eaton’s energy-efficient products and services help their customers effectively manage electrical, hydraulic and mechanical power more reliably, efficiently, safely and sustainably.

The company has long been a supporter of Waukesha County Technical College, and it continues to expand on its robust industry-education partnership. This includes hiring additional WCTC graduates, participating in specialized training opportunities for Eaton employees through the College’s Corporate Training Center and other initiatives, exploring new apprenticeship offerings and providing informational sessions to students.

“Eaton, a respected leader in manufacturing in our community, has been an incredible partner of WCTC’s for the long term,” Barnhouse said. “Our College is fortunate to have developed a solid, collaborative relationship with Eaton that has resulted in workforce solutions for our region. Eaton has been a staunch supporter of WCTC, welcoming our students to their facilities for learning and discovery, hiring our grads for in-demand jobs, partnering with our instructors to develop trainings that address skills gaps, and providing the College with generous financial gifts that benefit students and programs.”

In summer 2022, WCTC and Eaton partnered to develop a niche bootcamp to help train coil winders. The innovative, 120-hour intense training took place at Eaton and WCTC, and it combined extensive hands-on training and classroom work, led by two longtime WCTC manufacturing instructors. The curriculum was jointly developed by WCTC and Eaton, and bootcamp students (newly hired Eaton employees) learned many facets of the specialized coil winding process. Since that initial training, additional coil winding bootcamps have followed, and Eaton donated a coil winding machine to WCTC, which was refurbished and is used in trainings.

Eaton also supports the College through donations. This has included $25,000 in fall 2022 to benefit the Dual Enrollment Academy, scholarships, new equipment purchases, supplies and materials; a $25,000 gift in fall 2021 for manufacturing scholarships; and a $30,000 gift in fall 2020, which was used toward the purchase of a new fiber laser for the College’s Metal Fabrication, Welding and other manufacturing programs.

“Eaton is a longtime supporter of Waukesha County Technical College and a champion of technical education,” said Tyler of the WTCS Board. “The partnership between their leadership and WCTC helped build Eaton’s workforce. Through that partnership, WCTC developed a coil winders boot camp created to educate their current and future team members. Their generous giving to the college and the community they serve makes Eaton a deserving Futuremaker Partner.”