REACH & B.E.N. Updates

To develop our community’s future workforce by providing students with a deeper understanding of career opportunities and aligning skills with current workforce needs; engaging employers directly with students, education and training providers; and better aligning programs and curriculum to the realities of the Minnesota economy.

REACH exists to prepare southeast Minnesota high school students for future careers in order to provide an employment ready, skilled workforce for major industry sectors in the greater Winona area.

Business Education

Network Updates

Typically, summer is the time we plan for our fall Student Career Expo. At this time, we are holding off on making a final decision on the Expo until mid-August. Bringing together about 2,000 students, and a few hundred teachers, businesses, and volunteers is something we need to think carefully about. If we are able to host the event this fall, it will be held October 29. If not, we are looking to late April, 2022.

REACH Updates

As we prepare for fall of 2021, we are excited to see all of our returning and new students at all three schools. Lewiston-Altura will continue to have manufacturing and agribusiness. Wabasha-Kellogg will offer manufacturing. Winona Senior High School will offer Building Trades, Healthcare, Human Services, and Manufacturing. Between all three schools, we project that there will be over 200 students participating in REACH this fall.

While most of our teachers will be returning, we will have a changing of the guard at Winona Senior High School with a new high school principal AND two new Industrial Technology teachers. Our business and education partners are working together closely to continue to offer the best in technical and soft skills training.

Thanks to you...

As some of you may know, I (Nicole Schossow) will be ending my time with the Winona Area Chamber of Commerce on July 30, 2021. The time I have spent with all of our REACH partners as well as all of our students has been fun and inspirational. It has been an honor to work with business and education partners who are truly working to change how we prepare our students for the work world. In addition, working with our students has been eye-opening and I am truly amazed by all of them. While my passion for workforce development and the B.E.N. programs at WACC continues, I find that my person life is calling me in a different direction - one filled with adventure with my children. Thanks to you, we have accomplished amazing things and I can't wait to see what happens next.

Thank you to our grant partners

Youth Skills Training Grant

MN Department of Labor

Otto Bremer Trust

Find the latest on REACH at our website