Education & Workforce Development

A few prevalent concerns for businesses in the Milwaukee area have been addressing a skills gap, bridging a generation gap and working to combat the area's “brain drain.”

Wisconsin's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate increased to 7.2 percent in February from 7.0 percent in January, according to the latest report from the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development.

The Wisconsin Safety Council and the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development (DWD) announced 18 companies will receive the 2012 Corporate Safety Award, and two individuals will be honored April 23-24 at the 71st annual Wisconsin Safety & Health Conference and Exposition.

Milwaukee-based ManpowerGroup advised companies that are quickly expanding in growth hot spots to prioritize hiring workers with knowledge and skills demanded across industries, as the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the overall national March jobless rate was 7.6 percent, down from 7.7 percent in February.

There was a time when a high school diploma was the ticket to many family-sustaining careers, allowing access to more than 70 percent of all jobs in 1973, according to Georgetown University's Center on Education and the Workforce.

With a potential 700,000 to 1 million Wisconsin residents sitting on partial college credit, the University of Wisconsin System is stepping outside traditional education models to help working adults and older students complete degrees and more importantly develop skills needed by today's workforce.

Milwaukee-based DCI Marketing will offer a new summer associate program beginning this June for college students focusing their studies on shopper marketing.

The Wisconsin State Building Commission approved state financing to support the Medical College of Wisconsin’s plans to establish programs in northeast and central Wisconsin. The Building Commission approved $7.4 million for building renovations and remodeling, as well as technology improvements at two new regional campuses in Green Bay and the Wausau area.

Rebecca Blank, the new chancellor of the University of Wisconsin—Madison, has her work cut out for her if she is to position her taxpayer-built institution as a prime mover for the state’s prosperity.

The Helen Bader Foundation has awarded a $50,000 grant to Concordia University Wisconsin’s School of Nursing and School of Education to help fund a Community Health Mobile project.