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July 1994

State Roundups
Wisconsin

Indian college offers casino management training

With the growth and increasing popularity of Indian casinos, the National Indian Gaming and Hospitality Institute has an expanding market for its courses in casino management.

The institute is part of the College of the Menominee Nation in Keshena, Wis. Established in June 1993 with $1.1 million designated by the Menominee Tribe of Wisconsin, the college offers academic courses as well as training in casino management, computer technology and the building trades.

The 7,000 members of the Menominee Tribe are experiencing an economic boom, the direct result of the gaming industry, according to Verna Fowler, college president. "Gaming puts the Indian community in a unique position," Fowler says. "While providing good-paying jobs and a better standard of living for members, it also provides the opportunity to examine how gaming is affecting the Indian culture, the Indian family and the Indian community."

At the institute, students can receive a two-year degree in business administration with an emphasis on hospitality and casino management. Included in the curriculum are customer service, accounting and recording casino profits, employee relations and communications classes. Another area of study is background investigations and security compliance.

In addition to classes held on campus, instructors offer on-site seminars to casino operators, such as a recent security procedures seminar for 60 security officers at a neighboring casino. And while most of the 15 to 20 students come from the Menominee Tribe, the college assists other tribes in casino management. Recently, a group from the San Carlos Apaches participated in training prior to opening a casino on their Arizona reservation.

Currently, the college is planning for additional building construction, hiring staff and finalizing relationships with the University of Wisconsin at Stevens Point and Green Bay for students to continue their education at those campuses.

The College of the Menominee Nation is the 31st member of the American Indian Higher Education Consortium, which includes institutions located primarily in the western United States, with one member in Minnesota and one in Michigan.

—Diane Wells

High school education moves to the work place

High school education will leap into the financial industry in western Wisconsin as the Wisconsin Youth Apprenticeship Program expands into 13 additional school districts.

Beginning this fall students in the six-county western region, centered in La Crosse, can earn credits toward graduation and a Certificate of Occupational Proficiency recognized by Wisconsin financial institutions, according to La Crosse Lagoon High School teacher Agnate O'Hern. The certificate helps students secure jobs in banking and assists financial institutions in selecting experienced workers.

"The students will be educated in a number of positions," says Ellen Holt of the State Bank of La Crosse. By the end of the program, participants are expected to develop skills in teller functions, account services, consumer lending and operations. Students can apply their education to technical school, college or work following graduation, says O'Hern.

Financial institutions hope to find young, reliable employees. State Bank of La Crosse is investing a "tremendous amount" of work in the program, says Holt, who views the program as a valuable community service for students making career choices, not just a recruiting opportunity for the bank.

About 30 area financial institutions will provide mentors for students and instructors to help teach the classroom component. They will interview and hire one or more students who will work between 12 and 20 hours a week during the school year and full time during the summer.

The statewide Wisconsin Youth Apprenticeship Program leads the nation in providing practical vocational training and bringing together secondary school educators and business associates.

Two preliminary apprenticeships in the printing industry began in 1992. This year the program continues to expand into additional regions and vocations, such as finance, auto technology, engineering and metalworking.

The regional program will expand into a variety of businesses in the future, according to regional coordinator Cheryl Hanson. She is organizing a preliminary curriculum on hospitality in response to western Wisconsin's thriving tourism industry. Programs in insurance and health care are also likely.

—Rob Grunewald