Ambitious UpLift MKE Jobs Program To Be Celebrated
MILWAUKEE – Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele held a signing ceremony for the UpLift MKE program, a unique jobs development model that will empower workers to build a family-supporting career by providing opportunities and removing traditional barriers to successful employment. The county executive will be joined at the event by the Milwaukee Area Workforce Investment Board (MAWIB), the Milwaukee Bucks, the Milwaukee Area Technical College, and several local employers.
In September, Milwaukee County and MAWIB announced the innovative partnership, with the Milwaukee Bucks signing on as the first employer. At the time, Milwaukee County Board Chairman Theo Lipscomb called UpLift MKE “the next level” in workforce development for Milwaukee County, and just last week the Milwaukee County Board unanimously approved $400,000 in funding from land sale proceeds for the program.
UpLift MKE will provide job training, placement, and support for residents of Milwaukee’s poorest neighborhoods, including 53206, which has an official unemployment rate of more than 30%. UpLift MKE is the second major County economic development fund in as many months; in October, Milwaukee County joined with the Near West Side Partners to leverage proceeds from the sale of the City Campus building into a $1.6 million economic development fund on the Near West Side.
“I’d like to thank my partners on the County Board for recognizing what a difference we can make to empower workers with the training and support they need to get a family-supporting career through the UpLift MKE program,” Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele said. “I’d also like to thank the Milwaukee Area Workforce Investment Board, the Milwaukee Bucks, and the Milwaukee Area Technical College for their continued investments in our communities. Milwaukee is experiencing an unprecedented jobs and construction boom, and thanks to partners like MAWIB, MATC, and the Bucks, the economic benefits are going to be shared in every part of the County.”
The event will take place at the Milwaukee Area Workforce Investment Board, 2338 N 27th St, Milwaukee.
