Poynette students get a window to modern manufacturing at Portage MATC

May 13, 2025 | Jonathan Stefonek

PORTAGE, Wis. – Last Thursday Poynette High School students took over Madison College’s Portage Campus, turning classrooms and offices into the divisions of a one-day-only manufacturing business.

The Mini Manufacturing World, presented by Madison College in partnership with the Workforce Development Board of South Central Wisconsin, aims at giving students a sense of manufacturing, beyond just the factory floor, but the process from front to back, including the whole ecosystem around it.

Every manufacturer starts with a product and for May 8, the product was the Lego Abandoned Mine Kit, explained WDB Business Services Manager Jeff Westra during a tour as students were being going through a brief orientation for the day.

“There’s several substations and then at the end there is general assembly of the entire piece and there are little defects that may be mischievously planted and hopefully the students figure that out,” said Westra. “But then when it gets to the end, they have the fully assembled piece … and then quality assurance will inspect it and ensure that it is ready for shipment to the customer.”

That day, the company would be made up of about 25 Poynette High School Students, taking roles including accounting, IT, safety, quality assurance, human resources and the production floor. Since its inception in 2023, the program has grown, to date having hosted three Portage high school classes, two Wisconsin Dells high school classes, and a Sauk Prairie middle school class of over 100 students.

Poynette High School students cut the ribbon on their new business, a one-day only manufacturer as part of the Mini Manufacturing World immersive career exploration program, hosted by Madison College's Portage Campus in partnership with the Workforce Development Board of South Central Wisconsin.

The students are led by mentors from companies operating in Columbia, Sauk, and Marquette Counties, including Kruger Family Industries, Teel Plastics, Saint-Gobain, Seats, Inc., Cardinal FG Portage, Flambeau, Inc., McFarlane Manufacturing, and Primex Plastics.

One mentor, Ben Breese, a learning development manager with Teel Plastics in Baraboo, explained that the idea began about three years ago with members of the Manufacturing Alliance discussing how to get more involved with the community and build their workforce, fighting against a perception that manufacturing necessitates working in “a dark dingy dungeon.”

“Manufacturing is more than just production roles, there are a lot of professional roles and we have a lot of growth and opportunity,” said Breese. “So that led us to create something where we can show kids that manufacturing is a career option–it’s not just something that you end-up-at, it’s career you strive towards.”

It began with 14 kids in a four-day summer camp, and the responses from the students were overwhelmingly positive, according to Breese, with some kids saying that they wished they could attend every summer.

“We’re building a product and, just like we would, the only difference is that instead of it being plastic or metal or fabricating, we’re building out of Lego pieces, which kids much prefer anyways,” said Breese. “This morning is about getting in and breaking the ice, but this afternoon is about how they switch roles and get to see a different side of the business, and now…they might be in quality and they’ll say, ‘Now I understand why this is so important.’”

Even for students who already have long-term plans that do not involve the manufacturing world, the responses have been positive, as Madison College Campus Operations Manager Kallie Schultz explained.

“I had a mom reach out to me in the evening and had said that her son had come that day and he was really not looking forward to coming,” said Schultz. “He came home and he could not stop talking about how much fun he had at the event.”

Looking back at the process designing the program, Regional Dean Shawna Marquardt credits Schultz with keeping a focus on the age of their students and, despite much energy going towards creating “a teachable moment,” reminding other organizers how they would need to prioritize the program to be successful.

“These are kids and if they don’t have fun, this is going to be a negative experience,” Marquardt recalls Schultz telling their partners. “It definitely needs to be fun.”

The Mini Manufacturing World is part of a larger outreach initiative at both the Portage and Fort Atkinson campuses. In Fort Atkinson, another program has involved taking students on a three-stop tour through two local manufacturers and then the Madison College Campus. Among the many goals, she explains, has been not only exposing students to the career options in manufacturing and trades, but also breaking down barriers of assumption.

“We started, last year, Girls in Welding, in Fort, and it is our intention to go for a grant to be able to offer that her next year in Portage,” said Marquardt. “And it is taught by a female instructor and it tends to fill up and is a really positive experience.”