NWTC Marinette students become Masters of Their Craft

MARINETTE – As Wisconsin ranks second in the country for manufacturing employment concentration, according to Business News, the state draws in not only employers but also educators and students. Aiming to show students how trade skills can be put into real-world use, Northeast Wisconsin Technical College (NWTC) Marinette held their annual Masters of Their Craft competition.

Originally started by Community and Student Engagement Specialist Rebecca Denowski, this event showcases manufacturing skills from students to employers and the community.

NWTC Marinette Dean Cindy Bailey discussed the event in a press release, stating “The Masters of Their Craft is more than a competition, it’s a celebration of our students’ skills and a testament to the power of hands-on learning. It’s inspiring to witness the passion and dedication of everyone involved as we connect education with real-world industry experiences and highlight the vital role skilled trades play in our communities.”

This competition invites trades and engineering students to put the skills they have learned in the classroom and the labs to the test against their classmates and in front of area business partners.

Graduating electro-mechanical technology student Braxten Rose shared that there was a “little bit of pressure” working against the clock and in front of his bosses at his Waupaca Foundry internship.

“Everyone is watching you, the pressure is definitely on,” he added.

Masters of Their Craft is split up into three separate competitions and kicked off with the electro-mechanical and automation engineering technology live “Light-it-Up” wiring competition on April 3. The fast-paced challenge is overseen by Jesse LaBrosse, an NWTC Marinette instructor.

During the competition students race to wire a schematic diagram consisting of pieces like motor starters, prox switches and relays. This year, students were tasked with wiring a schematic for an automated process with a continuous circuit or continuous cycle for a cylinder.

After creating the assigned schematic, students are judged by the community partners.

LaBrosse explained “the business leaders in the community come to judge [the students] and they rate all of them on how well it’s wired, if it works, if it is wired correctly and if it is neat.”

Local businesses leaders, and possible future employers for NWTC Marinette students, who judged the “Light-it-Up” wiring competition included Jon Noffke and Joe Hecht, Waupaca Foundry; Jasen Dewindt and John Miodowski, Cruisers Yachts; Scott Smith, LE Jones; and Jon Salzman, Winsert.

Two other events were held as part of the Masters of Their Craft lineup, a CNC machine tool skills competition and welding arts competition.

While the students have to wait until the awards ceremony later this month to find if their creations were awarded, all of the students have come away as winners by testing their skills and gaining new experience.

LaBrosse explained that students gain a lot from these competitions.

“They build relationships and camaraderie with each other. I mean, when you’re in the tech hall you’re all there to help one another excel,” he said.

LaBrosse added that events like this are also impactful for local attendees, “The community, they get to notice that we have these high demand skills and skilled jobs in our community and that they could be trained right here at our NWTC Marinette campus.”

Alex Powers, a graduating automation engineering technology student who participated in the Masters of Their Craft competition, reflected on his past two years of education, “The classes are structured in a way that as long as you just watch the videos and read all the content there, it’s pretty simple and easy to follow.”

By opening up their doors and collaborating with students, employers and community members, NWTC Marinette is able to showcase what goes into working in the engineering industry and tech fields.

As 66% of manufacturers anticipate increased sales this year but 58% report difficulties in finding employees, according to the New Manufacturing Alliance 2025 Vitality Index, the Masters of Their Craft competition aids in lining up students with employers.

“This field is in high demand. There’s a lot of jobs, even here in our community. These programs can help against high costs with payable wages. I was a graduate of this program many years ago and it helped me get to where I’m at today. I’m a firm believer in the way that we teach these programs,” LaBrosse said.

NWTC Marinette will release the Masters of Their Craft winners on April 29, but until then the student’s projects will be on display in the Campus Events Center, Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.