WAUSAU – Northcentral Technical College announced this week the donation of $110,000 to support the forest products industry through newly developed saw filing training.
The donation is the result of feedback from industry partners that prompted NTC to launch a capital campaign for the equipment needed to offer the training. According to feedback from industry partners, one of the most important skilled labor positions in wood mills is saw filing. Although this position is one of the highest paid, it is also the most challenging position to fill. With many vacant positions coast-to-coast, there is a large skills gap in the saw filing profession.
Starting in October 2022, the only accredited band saw filing certificate program in the nation will be offered at NTC’s Wood Technology Center of Excellence in Antigo. Over the span of four weeks, students will learn procedures to bench, fit and repair saws while learning to align band mills to increase saw longevity and sawing accuracy. The program is designed for current saw filers, saw filer trainees and sawmill managers. Phase two of the project includes a circular saw filing certificate that can be completed in three weeks.
Additional short-term training is being developed to further shrink the skills gap in this field.
For more information on NTC’s saw filing training, visit
www.ntc.edu/academics-training/programs/all/certificate/band-saw-filer.
NTC launches saw filing training program
