WAUSAU, WIS. – Northcentral Technical College (NTC) recently announced that it received $220,000 from the state of Wisconsin to help develop the Meat Talent Development Program. 

The college plans to use the funds for a mobile learning lab that will bring training to students in North Central Wisconsin. 

“A portion of this investment will provide financial support to students in NTC’s meat processing programs,” said Jeannie Worden, president of NTC. “We are thankful to Governor Evers and the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection (DATCP) for investing in our students and the agriculture community.”

NTC added that the short-term training supports the need of employers to develop workers in the meat industry. The training will provide farm-to-table practices that will align with NTC’s Agriculture Center of Excellence to the Culinary Arts Associate Degree.

In January, Wisconsin announced it would provide $5 million to develop more meat processing capabilities.

According to Lightcast (formerly known as EMSI) Labor Market Analytics & Economic Data, North Central Wisconsin has twice as many jobs in the meat processing industry than the national average and that number is projected to increase 21% over the next 10 years. High retirement rates are expected soon because 27% of those employed are age 55 and older.