A flier is circulating in the city of Milwaukee for a worker recruitment and information event Thursday related to the streetcar project.
The event will provide interested parties with information about the Milwaukee streetcar, but attendees are not going to leave with a job working on the project.
Instead, they will be given an opportunity to enroll in a 130-hour class to become certified to work on one of the many construction projects currently underway in the city.
“We’re hoping to connect people to a bigger picture,” said Tracey Griffith director of construction initiatives of WRTP/BIG STEP. “This could possibly lead to a career, not just a job. We want to provide training that doesn’t end when the streetcar ends.”
The four-hour session at the WRTP/BIG STEP office, 3841 W. Wisconsin Ave., begins promptly at 8 a.m. Thursday. Representatives from Kiewit Corp, the city’s streetcar construction contractor, will be available to discuss the project; however, the goal is to get people to sign up for training, Griffith said.
The class, which has a tentative start day of early February, will prepare entry-level workers for jobs in the trades including laborers, carpenters, cement masons, electricians and machine operators.
After completing the course, some people will be hired to work on the streetcar project. Others could be hired to work on projects such as the Milwaukee Bucks arena or the Couture.
Candidates must have proof of a high school diploma or equivalent, a valid driver’s license or ability to obtain one, social security card and updated resume. They must also be drug free and will be drug tested for safety issues.
Pre-registration is required by calling (414) 342-9787.
“Right now there is a need across the board for candidates who are willing to work hard, commit and follow through,” Griffith said. “With the training, these candidates can be in the pipeline for all of the trades. If they are willing the opportunities are endless.”
Also on Thursday, Milwaukee Alderman Cavalier Johnson will host a town hall meeting at 5:30 p.m. at the Next Door Foundation, 5310 W. Capitol Dr., to provide residents with information about working at the Bucks arena.
“The construction and opening of this new arena has the capacity to be a truly transformative moment for Milwaukee,” Johnson said in a news release. “But in order to make sure our residents benefit from this opportunity, we are paying special attention to making sure that Milwaukeeans of all backgrounds are involved in the process.”
The meeting will also offer Milwaukee residents the opportunity to be certified for the city’s Resident Preference Program. The RPP provides job opportunities to city residents with construction skills to work on development projects. Contractors bidding on certain public and private projects within the City of Milwaukee must hire a certain percentage of City of Milwaukee residents to work on those projects. To verify one’s eligibility, the City of Milwaukee issues a certification to qualified individuals.
Anyone who is interested in attending the arena jobs town hall is asked to RSVP at wisconsinesc.com/careers.
