Employ Milwaukee invests federal, state and local funding to drive initiatives to better develop local talent through programs and business services that align with the needs of companies to develop a skilled and educated workforce. Training programs are aligned with real-time job openings as well as future business demands determined by labor market data and projections. Employ Milwaukee’s employer-driven industry advisory model connects individuals to in-demand employment which drives regional economic growth. Below are a few of Employ Milwaukee’s local talent development initiatives:
SE WI Healthcare Workforce Collaborative
The Center for Healthcare Careers of Southeast Wisconsin (CHCSEW) is an employer-led collaborative in Southeastern Wisconsin. Members include Froedtert Health, Aurora Health Care, Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, Ascension (which includes Ministry Health Care, Columbia St. Mary’s), and Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare of SE Wisconsin, Inc. The mission of the CHCSEW is to unite all appropriate stakeholders in a viable, flexible structure to locate, educate, and support a workforce from service to professional levels in the healthcare industry in Southeastern Wisconsin. Each partner has committed resources, including cash and significant staff time, to sustain the infrastructure. The SE WI Healthcare Workforce Collaborative has received generous support from the J.P. Morgan Chase New Skills at Work Initiative to aid in organizational and program design.
Construction Sector Services Provider (CSSP)
To meet industry-specific workforce demands as well as project-specific demands, including but not limited to the Northwestern Mutual Towers, the Milwaukee Bucks Arena Project, the Couture Hotel, the City of Milwaukee Streetcar Project and the Wisconsin Department Of Transportation (WISDOT) Zoo Interchange, Employ Milwaukee entered into a CSSP Agreement with WRTP/BIGSTEP who works with over 100 contractors/sub-contractors and affiliated trades to identify overall workforce demands and the specific needs for classification in the apprentice and pre-apprentice categories. Included within this Agreement is the expectation for coordination with community-based construction-related training entities to ensure connection to CSSP programming.
TechHire
Employ Milwaukee and its local partners will recruit, train and place 200 program participants in Information Technology (IT) career pathways. Young adults ages 17-29 with a high school degree or equivalent and barriers to employment are served, as well as incumbent workers and long-term unemployed. Training and placement focuses on occupations such as computer systems analysts, web developers, applications software developers, systems software developers, and computer user support specialists. Learn more about Techhire click here.
Mayor’s Manufacturing Initiative
The Mayor’s Manufacturing Initiative is a collaboration between City of Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett’s Office, Employ Milwaukee, WRTP/BIG STEP, technical colleges and economic development groups. The initiative has two overarching goals: 1) to help eliminate the manufacturing skills gap by training job seekers with the skills employers need to fill actual job openings, and 2) to fill these job openings with trained City of Milwaukee residents who are unemployed or underemployed. Trainees of this initiative access a career pathway in the manufacturing industry while placed in businesses such as Harley-Davidson, Masterson, Briggs & Stratton, Miller Coors, Brady Corporation, Capitol Stampings and DRS Technologies.
MilwaukeeBuilds
The MilwaukeeBuilds initiative is led by Employ Milwaukee and our Construction Industry Advisory Board, with active engagement from a multi-disciplinary partnership consortium, including WRTP/ BIG STEP, Milwaukee Area Technical College, the City of Milwaukee Community Block Grant Administration, the Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee, Northcott Neighborhood House, and Milwaukee Christian Center. The strategic design of this program provides individuals with an opportunity to pave a career pathway in the construction industry while earning wages and contributing to Milwaukee’s growth.Three unique phases guide participants through MilwaukeeBuilds.
- Phase 1: YouthBuild provides basic job readiness skills, GED preparation and driver’s license attainment, as needed.
- Phase 2: AdultBuild offers instruction in classrooms and on actual worksites. Students earn valuable certifi cations such as CPR/First Aid, HAZWHOPER, and OSHA 10, through subsidized training in residential construction trade areas.
- Phase 3: Unsubsidized Entry Level Construction Employment with an average wage of $13.50 per hour is accessible to successful completers through the initiative’s industry partners.
Municipal Workforce Initiatives
Employ Milwaukee’s collaborations with the City of Milwaukee maximize opportunities that come with one of the greatest construction booms in the city’s history! Workforce strategies have been developed to ensure City of Milwaukee residents benefit from the building of catalytic projects. Employ Milwaukee is the lead workforce development entity working in partnership with the public and private sectors on the following projects: