Develop
We believe there are three tenets that make up a comprehensive workforce development strategy: developing our future workforce through partnerships with educational institutions, attracting new talent to our area and retaining and skilling up our existing workforce.
We work to develop our future workforce by partnering with K-12 and post-secondary institutions to expose students to all the career opportunities in Waukesha County.
- Create a model to get educators into businesses and provide them with information on career clusters and current career pathways in Waukesha County through the Educators in Business Action Team.
- Implement a college and career readiness measurement framework for Waukesha County school districts to assess K-12 workforce skills development through the Countywide Report Card Action Team.
- Expand employer collaboratives in the construction/skilled trades, IT and health care industries, similar to the Manufacturing Alliance, to help those industries address their needs for skilled talent.
- Support the MADE (Manufacturing, Automotive, Design and Engineering) model for the School District of Waukesha to strengthen business/education partnerships and encourage students to consider careers in those industries. Expand the model to other districts.
- Expose students to the many career opportunities available in Waukesha County by hosting the MADE Career Pathways Expo, the Many Futures in Health Care Career Expo and Schools2SkillsTM tours.
- Support the Milwaukee 7’s “GROW HERE” campaign by encouraging businesses and educational institutions to participate in career-based learning experiences.
- Work with post-secondary institutions to ensure their programs and curricula meet the talent needs of area employers.
- Promote and expand youth apprenticeship, dual enrollment and internship opportunities with local businesses.
Waukesha County Business Alliance expands Schools2Skills to address workforce needs in health care
November 14, 2018The Waukesha County Business Alliance, Inc. has expanded its Schools2Skills™ program to educate high school and middle school students on careers in health care.
Superintendent/President Roundtable: Manufacturing
November 1, 2018Our quarterly superintendent/president roundtable met on Wednesday, October 31 to discuss the future of the manufacturing industry with Tom Fotsch, chief operating officer for EmbedTek in Waukesha. Read more here. We’re bringing in presidents and superintendents of school districts around Waukesha County to build partnerships and meet the workforce needs of Waukesha County’s four high-growth […]
Interactive, hands-on activities get students excited about careers in the skilled trades
October 22, 2018On Thursday, October 18, more than 1,000 middle and high school students in Waukesha County attended the Alliance’s 4th annual M.A.D.E. Career Pathways Expo at Waukesha County Technical College to learn more about careers in the manufacturing, automotive, design, engineering and construction industries. This was our biggest career expo to date. 35 local employers were […]
Redefining “hands-on learning”
October 11, 2018By: Tim O’Brien, CEO of Tim O’Brien Homes. Oconomowoc High School’s Building Trades III course and New Berlin area high schools’ Construction III course bring new meaning to the term hands-on learning.
Leveraging the TechHire program to meet your tech talent needs
October 11, 2018By: Laura Catherman, Director, Waukesha-Ozaukee-Washington Workforce Development Board. In 2016, the United States Department of Labor awarded nearly $150 million in H-1B TechHire Partnership grants to 39 partnerships providing services in 25 states. These grants provide employment and training assistance to train workers with the skills required for well-paying middle- and high-skilled, and high-growth jobs.
Developing future-ready students in the Pewaukee School District
October 11, 2018By: Mike Cady, PhD, superintendent of the Pewaukee School District. Over the past year the Pewaukee School District (PSD) has been able to successfully implement Academic Career Planning (ACP) practices with our students at the middle and high school levels.
Education Steering Council
Rick Kalscheuer
Chair
R&R Insurance Services, Inc.
Marikris Coryell
Vice Chair
Triton Trailers Inc
Rosemary Bartkowiak
Stanek Tool LLC
Mark Beilman
Precision Plus, Inc.
Donna Bembenek
Catholic Memorial High School
Nicole Berlowski
ProHealth Care
Steve Bialek
Carroll University
Joe Bitter
River Run Computers Inc
Laura Catherman
Waukesha-Ozaukee-Washington Workforce Development Inc.
Mary Ellen Comp
Community Leader
David Dineen
Fairchild Equipment
Sherry Douglas
SEEK Careers/Staffing
Katie Gavin
Milwaukee Tool
Toni Gundersen
CJ & Associates, Inc.
Mark Hansen
School District of Elmbrook
Larry Harvey
Tailored Label Products, Inc.
Brian Hillstrom
Johnson Financial Group
Nate Hoffman
Carrus Group
Dee Jensen
Heritage Printing
Phylis King
University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee
Susan Koehn
Milwaukee 7
Ann Marie Krause-Hanson
Waukesha County Technical College
Rick Krauthoefer
First Business Bank
Tami Marek-Loper
The Marek Group
Dave Merrick
Mortenson Construction
Joseph Miotke
DeWitt Ross & Stevens SC
Paul Nobile
Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield
Vicki Pinnow
Waukesha Metal Products
Ron Russ
School District of Merton
John Schiraj
United Way of Greater Milwaukee and Waukesha County
Kevin Scott
DeWitt Ross & Stevens SC
Michael Sekula
Inpro Corporation
Kelly Skindzelewski
GE Healthcare
J.P. Zvesper
Jacsten Holdings LLC