| August 2009 |
Vol 1, Issue 16 | |
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Workforce Development in Wisconsin  |
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| Greetings! |
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Workforce programs funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act are making a difference across the state. The workforce boards of Wisconsin have over 2,500 youth working at over 1,000 worksites statewide. We are training large numbers of dislocated workers who are looking for help after lay-offs and we continue to see increased traffic in the Wisconsin Job Centers and our other locations.
Data and stories relating to the workforce development activities funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) can be found in the latest edition of the Workforce Times, a WWDA publication specific to the ARRA workforce projects and programs. The Wisconsin Workforce Development Association recognizes the importance of communication on statewide workforce issues and we encourage you to contact us with any questions you have.
If you wish to be added to future mailings or removed from mailings please use the links at the bottom of the newsletter. Thank you! |
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| Milwaukee Builds Breaks Ground... |
On Thursday, July 23, 2009, Mayor Barrett & District Alderman Bauman spoke during a Milwaukee Builds Press Conference at the Northcott Neighborhood worksite, where two single-family homes are being constructed by youth for sale (PHOTO). Other speakers include youth participant, Terrell Owens, Northcott House Executive Director, Mac Weddell, Lois O'Keefe of Congresswoman Moore's office, and Milwaukee Workforce Investment Board (MAWIB) CEO, Don Sykes. The U.S. Department of Labor awarded the MAWIB a $1.0 million Youth Build Grant to fund Milwaukee Builds. Milwaukee Builds is a program that prepares youth and young adults for careers and employment in the construction industry. The two-year grant will provide 60 young adults with skills to integrate "green" construction techniques into the building of two new homes and the rehab one dilapidated home. Milwaukee Builds is an extension of the city's goal to address unemployment and community development. "Providing job training is an integral part of empowering our people and making our communities stronger," said Mayor Barrett. Read the full news release... |
| American Recovery & Reinvestment Act Update |
 The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act provided approximately 25.7 million dollars in Workforce Investment Act funds to the eleven Workforce Development Boards of Wisconsin. These funds are being utilized to provide employment and training services to youth, adult, and dislocated workers. The Workforce Development Boards in Wisconsin are working very hard to ensure that all ARRA funds are spent in a transparent, efficient, and effective manner. Each month the WWDA Workforce Times newsletter provides federal legislators and stakeholders with an update of the statewide ARRA Workforce Investment Act data and success stories. The latest issue is full of stories about the young people who are employed through the Summer Youth Employment Programs across the state. ARRA and the Summer Youth Employment Program place a high emphasis on getting young people to work. In this month's issue we highlight several stories of youth who are employed and working hard serving as role models for other children across the state.
We hope that you find the information provided here helpful in understanding the role that ARRA Workforce Investment Act funds will play in the state. As always, the Workforce Development Board leaders welcome questions or comments from legislators.
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| GM Worker "Helps His Own" |
 Knowing what it's like to work at a company for 31 years and then losing your job, Ed Martinez is using that knowledge and empathy to help his former co-workers. The 52-year-old Chicago native was working at the Janesville Assembly plant in December when the last Tahoe rolled off the line on December 23, 2008. He landed his new job as Employment Training Specialist in late January, 2009.
But for Ed, his new position isn't just a job-he lives with the highs and lows of each of the laid-off GM workers as he tries to find them suitable options for their futures. "Now, I'm building lives, not vehicles," he said. Ed went through all of the steps any unemployed worker would do-including JobFit, assessments and orientations, which help him better relate to the dislocated workers.
Moving from a $30 an hour line job to an $18 an hour 'people' job, Ed feels fortunate to be employed, but even more so because he is doing something he really enjoys. "I'm a people person-I really enjoy helping others," he added in a vast understatement.
He's a joiner and doer. He spent four years in the Navy and decades in the UAW, trains persons in CPR, works on veterans' issues and raises funds for charity causes. "Veterans take care of veterans," he said, humbling telling of an example of raising money and materials to help build a wheelchair ramp for a veteran who was paralyzed by a stroke in late October, 2008.
Southwest Wisconsin Workforce Development Board (SWWDB) Executive Director Robert T. Borremans said Ed has surpassed expectations in his new job. "He is so hard-working and personable-he makes those he helps feel welcome and worthwhile. I wish I could clone him and have three or more Ed Martinezes," Borremans said. | |
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Mari Kay
Wisconsin Workforce Development Association
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