The new Milwaukee Healthcare Workforce Initiative uses employer-led training to expand Southeastern Wisconsin’s healthcare workforce.
MILWAUKEE, Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2021 – Employ Milwaukee, the workforce development board serving Milwaukee County, has created the Milwaukee Healthcare Workforce Initiative (MHWI), a program to increase underrepresented populations’ access to quality health care careers through training and guaranteed job interviews at Advocate Aurora Health.
The MHWI is now accepting registrations for the no-cost training that includes job shadowing, an introduction to hospital operations, and an overview of healthcare career paths and job application success. Individuals who complete the program are guaranteed job interviews at Advocate Aurora Health.
“In today’s climate, the need for increased numbers of trained healthcare workers is significant,” said Chytania Brown, Employ Milwaukee President and CEO. “At the same time, unemployment remains too high for people of color in Milwaukee. We’re excited to bring this solution-oriented program to the table.”
Developed with Advocate Aurora Health, the MHWI is a three-year project funded by a $500,000 grant from the Medical College of Wisconsin’s Advancing a Healthier Wisconsin Endowment.
“Advocate Aurora’s greatest asset is our team members, whose diverse backgrounds, cultures and experiences reflect the communities we are privileged to serve,” said Dayla Randolph, system vice president, Advocate Aurora Health. “Increasing the pool of diverse, qualified job candidates is critical to the future of Milwaukee’s healthcare industry and to the wellbeing of our residents.”
The program will offer customized curriculums that address both job seekers’ and employers’ needs, and will cover direct health care roles as well as opportunities in administration, environmental services and food services departments.
“The pandemic continues to have a severe impact on people living in zip codes of underinvestment,” Dr. Greer Jordan, Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer at the Medical College of Wisconsin said. “Working to diversify our regional talent pools promotes an adaptive response to the rapidly evolving workforce and environment of healthcare.”
Additional partners include Social Development Commission, JobsWork MKE, Greater Milwaukee Urban League, RiverWorks Development Corp. and Journey House. Each organization will assist with candidate recruitment efforts. Potential participants are encouraged to reach out to Employ Milwaukee for more details.
Employ Milwaukee is the federally recognized workforce system serving Workforce Development Area 2 (Milwaukee County.) As the largest of Wisconsin’s 11 workforce boards statewide, this publicly funded workforce system, defined by the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), provides access to opportunities for employment, education, training and support services that individuals – particularly, those with barriers to employment – need to succeed in the labor market. www.employmilwaukee.org
Advocate Aurora Health is a non-profit health care system with dual headquarters located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and Downers Grove, Illinois. As of 2021, the AAH system has 26 hospitals and more than 500 sites of care, with 75,000 employees, including 10,000 physicians. www.advocateaurorahealth.org
The Medical College of Wisconsin is a private medical school and graduate school of sciences headquartered in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin. MCW is Wisconsin’s largest private research institution and 3rd largest private medical school in the nation. www.mcw.edu
Established in 1963 as an intergovernmental commission under Wisconsin State Statute 66.0125, the Social Development Commission is a community action agency which serves as a planner, coordinator and provider of human service programs for low-income individuals and families in Milwaukee County. www.cr-sdc.org
JobsWork MKE is a collaborative of dedicated business and community leaders that assists and provides a pathway to un- and under- employed individuals to overcome barriers to find sustainable employment and become self-sufficient. www.jobsworkmke.org
About Greater Milwaukee Urban League – Established in 1919 as an affiliate of the National Urban League, the Greater Milwaukee Urban League offers numerous programs including employment, education and empowerment designed to help African Americans and other people of color achieve civil rights, along with social and economic equity so that they become more self-reliant members of society. www.tmul.org
RiverWorks Development Corp. is a business and community development organization with services ranging from financial empowerment, creative placemaking and employment services. The organization has programs that focus on business and housing development and also focuses extensively on helping train and place Milwaukee residents into sustainable employment while also providing financial coaching. www.riverworksmke.org
Journey House has been transforming lives in and around Milwaukee since 1969 empowering families to move out of poverty by offering four core programs: Adult Education, Youth Leadership and Athletics, THRIVE Workforce Development and Family Engagement. www.journeyhouse.org