In 2020 Domtar Corporation’s Nekoosa facility was facing a growing problem familiar to companies in central Wisconsin and beyond—high turnover and workforce shortages stemming from retirements. 

“Increasingly, our workforce was shifting more toward people who were newer in their roles,” said Domtar Human Resources Generalist Jenny Havlovic. “We couldn’t rely as much on senior employees to train the new hires coming in, so we reached out to Mid-State for some expert guidance.”

Working with Mid-State’s Workforce & Professional Development division seemed like a natural fit. 

“A large number of people here at Domtar hold degrees from Mid-State, so it made a lot of sense to look within our community, to somebody close by who we've already built a relationship with,” Havlovic said. 

Partnering with Mid-State was also already a positive experience, with the apprenticeship training and Domtar’s sponsorship of Mid-State’s Advanced Manufacturing, Engineering Technology, and Apprenticeship (AMETA^TM) Center. 

Initial Success Leads to Ongoing Partnership

Mid-State’s first training contract with Domtar provided welding training, but the relationship quickly progressed to training in additional skill areas, including Microsoft project training, safety classes in a train-the-trainer model, and first aid CPR and AED training. To date, Domtar and Mid-State have partnered on over seven different training contracts, providing customized training to 153 employees.

“Mid-State’s customized training has allowed us to strengthen our overall training for key safety programs,” said Domtar Safety Manager Jon Tschudy, who points to Mid-State’s design of the training content as a key strength. “Mid-State instructors come on site and observe the process the training will be used for. This information is then utilized in the training, allowing the content to be specific to what our employees will actually be using.”

Supervisory Training: An 8-Module Series

The latest Mid-State-Domtar contract provides supervisory training in a series of modules, running from January to July of this year. “Our goal with this training is to invest in our frontline supervisors and ensure they have the resources needed to get up to speed quickly and become proactive, effective leaders,” Havlovic said. 

Mid-State Workforce & Professional Development Consultant Brenda Hudak developed the training model in close collaboration with Domtar, working out the particulars of the class format and schedule to fit Domtar’s unique needs.

That collaboration produced the eight-module course for Domtar on the skills and tools necessary to perform the functions of a frontline leader, with a focus on applying strategies and transitioning to a contemporary supervisory role. Each section of students in the class meets roughly once a month in person at Mid-State’s Wisconsin Rapids Campus, with each meeting running three hours for a total of 24 hours of class time. 

The instructor, Workforce & Professional Development Corporate Trainer Ted Melby, took a tour at Domtar before developing the course. “It meant a lot that Ted was willing to do that, to see the work area firsthand and customize the training to our needs,” Havlovic said. 

“It’s reassuring to know that with Mid-State’s expertise we’re providing the right environment for these employees to grow leadership skills to match their technical skills,” she added. 

Promising Early Results

And those leadership skills are on the rise. Since the supervisory training series kicked off in January, Domtar’s HR department has noticed an increase in proactive calls from supervisors who are now working on issues they might not have felt comfortable confronting before.

“The growing confidence of these frontline leaders is clear,” Havlovic said. “And we’ve heard from the instructor that an average of three to five students stick around at the end of each class session to talk through questions they have. It speaks volumes that they are comfortable enough to stay around and spend extra time when they could just head home after class.”

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