Workforce Development and Family-Supporting Jobs: The Wisconsin Regional Training Partnership

Abstract

The Wisconsin Regional Training Partnership (WRTP), a non-profit membershipbased organization of employers and unions, is dedicated to expanding family-supporting jobs in the Milwaukee metro area. The mission of WRTP is to assist members with the growth of employment and advancement opportunities, enhancement of the skills of current employees, and recruitment and retention of qualified workers. Over the last six years, WRTP has placed 1,500 low-income community residents in construction, health care, manufacturing, technology, and other targeted sectors of the regional economy.WRTP started out in the early 1990s as an experiment in economic and workforce development amidst the decline of employment in the manufacturing sector. Labor and management worked together to improve their workplaces for the benefit of the company, workforce, and community. The recovery of the manufacturing sector, retirement of an aging workforce, and diversification of the regional economy elevated the importance of the future workforce in the late 1990s. Needs-assessment surveys of employers showed that difficulty finding qualified workers was the greatest barrier to the growth of family-supporting jobs before the recent recession. The Wisconsin State AFL-CIO, affiliated unions, and employers represented on the WRTP Board decided to incorporate WRTP as a nonprofit (in 1996) to develop resources for the preparation of central city residents for job openings at member companies.