Building Business. Enriching Community.

Workforce Development

High School:

The Chamber is committed to assisting our membership in a variety of ways, but one that is a stake in the ground for the Chamber is Workforce Development. We believe that we have a talented workforce right here in the waiting. Our aim is to share with students in the Fox Valley the opportunities abound in a variety of industries.

The Fox West Chamber has partnered with Inspire Wisconsin/Cesa 6 to create experiences for high school students to get involved in and experience what types of work are available to them right here in the Fox Valley region. We have operated bus tours for students to be transported from one business to another throughout the day to see jobs available to them at businesses like Miller Electric, Bernatello’s Foods, Miron Construction, Virtue Homes, etc.

One of the most creative and fun opportunities created for students throughout the year is our Entrepreneurship Day where students are matched up with local small business owners and participate in an experiential activity to create a business plan for a fictitious business idea. In spring 2024, students were led through an activity to create a donut shop brand/idea/marketing. They were mentored for the morning by local entrepreneurs and gave feedback to their business proposals.

Some of the theme’s being designed for the upcoming year include:

Nonprofit Day

Hospitality Careers

Health Care Careers

Entrepreneurship Day

The Fox West Chamber is committed to helping the increasing demands for workforce improvement in the Fox Valley region. We understand that our membership and communities have experienced a lot of issues over the past few years. Everything from worker shortages, supply chain issues and increased inflation costs.

Two ways that this Chamber has assisted in workforce development is our Child Care Partnership and our Teacher Externship opportunities. Did you know? One of the biggest issues impacting both employees and employers in the state of Wisconsin is finding child care for our precious little ones. There is a child care worker shortage and availability shortage with licensed facilities. In 2024, we partnered with Joyful Beginnings Academy and The Child Care Resource & Referral Center to offer training courses and provide incentives to those individuals who complete the initial course and become employed by an area child care center or provide in-home daycare.

We have also begun our Teacher Externship opportunities where area educators are led through experiential activities at area employers to learn and understand what some of our biggest industries have to offer. This past summer, local teachers and educational professionals had the opportunity to learn from Miron Construction and Miller Electric. Each teacher can then bring back valuable information to the classroom to share with students.