But as business needs evolve, the key question remains the same: How do we train and engage our students to keep them here in Rock County, filling important positions? How do we prepare the future workforce, serving both those who work best with their hands as well as those who work from a desk? Craftsman With Character For Dave Hataj, the long-time president of Edgerton Gear, he saw the problem first-hand 20 years ago. Conventional wisdom dictated that the path to success required a college degree, so filling positions for skilled tradespeople became more and more difficult. “We were all poaching from each other, different companies, because it was really hard to find machinists,” Hataj says. “Starting in the early ‘90s, some educators came out and said tech ed of the future is going to be lab coats and computers. We’re not going to need shop (classes). And across the country, that’s where the demise really happened in the trades and manufacturing, where we’ve lost an entire generation.” But Hataj recognized that the problem went well beyond just the lack of skilled workers. He also witnessed a poor work culture, even within his own company. “What I started realizing was that I have to stop hiring for skills, I have to hire for character,” says Hataj. “We can teach the skills, but…you need good people, flatout people with character.” Hataj had always assumed that you can’t teach character. But he found that students “are desperate to be mentored. They want to be. “What I’m finding when I talk to businesses is that you have to become a mentoring culture. That’s the key to your long-term success.” Those realizations led Hataj to create Craftsman With Character (CWC), a remarkable program for high school students that provides job shadowing opportunities with local manufacturers and skilled-trade businesses. The keys to the program are the mentorship and relationship-building opportunities, as well as the classroom discussions of professionalism, ethics, humility, selfconfidence and purpose. Critically, it requires engaged business and educational partners. For Chris Maedke, CWC’s contact at the School District of Janesville, the program was an easy sell because he saw the results personally. “My nephew participated in CWC a number of years ago. He was the prototype for what Dave Hataj was looking for,” says Maedke. “The program turned his life around, really gave him a sense of purpose. So I see the transformation that this can have.” Maedke says that some participants come in without a sense of who they are or what they want to do. But that changes when they are paired with an adult “who cares and is interested and wants them to be successful.” “To me, that’s the exciting thing,” says Maedke. “That we can change a kid’s life by showing them a direction and a purpose.” When Hataj implemented the pilot program at Edgerton High School in 2013, it was an immediate success. He brought 10 students into Edgerton Gear and to this day, seven of them are still employed there. Buoyed by the success in Edgerton, CWC expanded to other high schools, coming into the School District of Janesville for the 2023-24 school year. Hataj credits longtime Forward Janesville board member Larry Squire for bringing the program to the local community. “I knew the program was successful at Edgerton Gear and in Edgerton schools,” says Squire. “We all know that businesses today are constantly looking for good people. This course is a That’s The Magic Collaborations prep students and fill employer needs By Jim Lyke The message seems to be everywhere: “Help Wanted.” Skilled, unskilled, full-time, part-time. Workers are needed. Education and workforce development have long been core components of Forward Janesville’s mission. While the organization’s initiatives in that area have changed over the last three decades, the commitment to being responsive to local business needs has not. What I’m finding when I talk to businesses is that you have to become a mentoring culture. That’s the key to your long-term success. 6 | FORWARD JANESVILLE Camaraderie is part of the Craftsman with Character experience
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