B-280 Advisory Committees

STATE POLICIES AND LAWS

The Wisconsin Technical College System Board has urged the 16 technical colleges within the Wisconsin Technical College System (WTCS) to use local occupational advisory committees. Wisconsin statutes establish the composition and purpose of advisory committees serving the WTCS colleges.

COMMITTEE PURPOSE

The District Board and the President/District Director may request the advice and assistance of advisory committees in selecting, purchasing, and installing equipment, preparing course materials, developing instructional methods and vocational guidance programs, and other purposes as the District Board desires.

HOW COMMITTEES ARE FORMED

College occupational advisory committees shall include representation of employers and employees of a particular occupation, together with representatives as consultants from such public agencies as may be deemed advisable and be representative of geographic location and racial and gender diversity. The President/District Director or designee is responsible for selecting committee members and calling and conducting such local meetings. Employer and employee representatives are chosen from representative organizations or associations of each occupation. Other than the District Board, public agencies are sometimes represented as consultants. Employer and employee groups have occupational associations or organizations on both a statewide and a local basis. Since it is the desire to gain the cooperation of the whole group rather than individual cooperation on the part of a few, it is usually advantageous to cooperate with these groups collectively. In this way, committee representatives recommended by associations or organizations represent the maximum number of persons engaged in that occupation.

AUTHORITY VESTED IN COMMITTEES

The District Board legally has the authority to set requirements concerning college affairs. It must comply with federal, state, and local laws, rulings, and regulations.

For on-the-job conditions, such authority rests with the occupational organizations and groups acting in conformity to such laws, rules, and regulations that may pertain. A college advisory committee is limited strictly to making training recommendations and suggestions to the District Board, vested with the authority to develop training programs.

TYPES OF COMMITTEES

Ad Hoc Occupational Advisory Committees

Ad Hoc Occupational Advisory Committees are appointed by the College to temporarily assist in determining the need for new occupational programs. When the program is implemented, an Occupational Advisory Committee is formed.

Occupational Advisory Committees

Occupational Advisory Committees may serve either a specific occupational or multiple occupational areas and, through an advisory role, assist the College in providing Students with saleable skills for business and industry.

Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committees

Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committees are formed by the Bureau of Apprenticeship Standards (BAS) of the Department of Workforce Development to develop and coordinate an apprentice training program for a specific craft. When they provide advisory services to the college regarding related instruction for apprentices, they are identified as Apprenticeship Advisory Committees.

To serve on an area committee, the BAS must designate an individual. The BAS District Coordinator receives written nominations from the employer of the labor organization that represents the trades served by the committee for employee members. For employer members, the BAS District Coordinator receives written nominations from the employer organization that represents employers from the same trades. The BAS District Coordinator will forward those nominations to the BAS administrative office, adding their concurrence or nonconcurrence with the person nominated. When the BAS makes the designation, the designee will receive a Letter of Designation to the committee and a committee roster.