Custom-designed partnerships reject unisize education

Evolving to meet both student and workforce needs in a new way, Carthage is helping local businesses combat their talent shortages while providing well-paying, part-time jobs for its students.

To pilot this innovative program, called Carthage Spark, the College partnered with LMI Packaging. The family-owned manufacturer 10 miles southeast of campus in Pleasant Prairie makes lids and labels for a variety of industries.

As part of the comprehensive fundraising campaign that’s officially launching this summer, gifts to the President’s Innovation Fund will equip Carthage to adapt quickly to changing workforce needs in the region. The LMI agreement came together in a matter of days.

Shedding the one-size-fits-all educational mindset, Carthage has shown that responsiveness since its first days in Kenosha.

“Recapturing the spirit of 1962, we can respond nimbly when we see new opportunities for education,” says President John Swallow. “Serving both traditional and adult students, the President’s Innovation

Fund provides the resources to get programs off the ground quickly and lay the groundwork for a sustained impact.”

Administrators are actively looking to expand Carthage Spark to additional partners. It features two highly customizable options for employers: workplacedelivered education and enhanced student employment.

Workplace-delivered education

Carthage faculty can teach college-level courses right in the workplace, giving employers in the Kenosha area an attractive benefit to develop and retain existing employees and recruit new ones. This option serves workers who aren’t sure if they want to pursue a four-year degree.

For example, 11 LMI employees took the first on-site session: a seven-week introductory business course with Professor Joseph Tenuta. Beginning in February, classes met twice each week.

Carthage supplied laptops for participants, as well as promotional assistance to help the company spread the word about the unique perk. The firm provided tuition assistance on top of the workers’ base wages and set aside classroom space.

The first-time offering drew positive reviews from the LMI staff.

“This course gave me insight that I haven’t had previously on how businesses are formed and run,” one employee replied in an evaluation survey.

Professor Mark Mrowiec then followed with a marketing class that enrolled nine LMI workers. Those who complete a fourcourse sequence will earn a certificate in Business Foundations.

Although business professors have taught the initial offerings, faculty in other subjects can tailor courses to individual partners’ needs.

Enhanced student employment

While financial aid packages that include both College- and donor-funded scholarships keep a Carthage education well within reach, many students still work off campus to help cover their remaining expenses.

With that in mind, President Swallow sought “to cultivate employers who can pay our working students substantially more than they earn in retail or hospitality.”

In addition to hourly wages, LMI provides tuition assistance to full-time Carthage students who work there, which is applied directly to the cost of their education. That can push their total compensation to $18 per hour.

As laid out in the Carthage Spark agreement, the College provides campus housing in summer so students can work at LMI year-round. The company offers transportation, flexible hours, work that aligns with career goals, and potential advancement. Lydia Siegler ’23, whose work in the ink room led to a finance internship there, relished the chance “to see business processes happen in real time and ask critical questions about the way the business operates on a day-to-day basis.”

While he jokingly acknowledges that it may not be a student’s dream “to run a die cut machine and make K-cup coffee lidding,” LMI’s Chief Operating Officer Frank Unick has enjoyed seeing the hard- working students and full-time staff build camaraderie at the plant.

Thrilled with the results, LMI officials are eager to compare notes with other Spark collaborators.

“There’s no reason Carthage couldn’t have a program like this with 10 other companies like us,” said Mr. Unick. “We support that and can’t wait for that to happen.”

Looking for an innovative solution to your workforce needs? Contact Paul Martino, dean for the Division of Professional Studies, at pmartino@carthage.edu or visit the program’s webpage for more details: carthage.edu/spark

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