MADISON, Wisc. - The Woodwork Career Alliance says it certified five more skills evaluators during a certification session in Madison, Wisconsin earlier this month.

Madison College hosted five high school instructors for the Woodwork Career Alliance Skill Evaluator Training required. These teachers are now certified to award WCA Credentials to their students. Two of the teachers are from Illinois; three from Wisconsin, which has the second largest number of trained skill evaluators in the country.

The WCA credential was recently recognized by the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development as eligible for Act 59 funding. High schools in the state can now receive up to $1,000 per student for each credential awarded. The training was led by Madison College instructor and WCA Chief Evaluator, Patrick Molzahn. Each participant left with their own customized measurement widget, which they can use to evaluate their students.  

The Woodwork Career Alliance has established an industry employee skills criteria verifying competency in 50+ tools and machines. Employee skills are tested and verified by Accredited Skill Evaluators using industry standards.

Employees receive a WCA Passport (maintained in an online database) in which their skills credentials are recorded, giving employers the confidence that they are hiring a productive and skilled employee.

WCA now has over 1,000 Passport holders located in 28 states and 2 providences of Canada whose skills have been verified udner its system. The WCA system has been adopted by individual states and some regional initiatives. 

Over the past two years, the Woodwork Career Alliance's Education Committee has successfully integrated the former WoodLINKS USA, forming both a pipeline and a gateway for high school and community education center students to enter productive careers within the wood manufacturing industries.