News and Updates

Regional Workforce Alliance of Southeastern Wisconsin

Announces WIRED Innovation Fund Awards

Milwaukee, Wis., June 26, 2008 – The Regional Workforce Alliance (RWA) of Southeastern Wisconsin today announced award recipients in Round I of its WIRED Innovation Fund. The Regional Workforce Alliance/WIRED Steering Committee will award a total of $525,944 to eleven area partnerships proposing innovative talent-development solutions in the seven-county Milwaukee 7 region including Kenosha, Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Racine, Walworth, Washington, and Waukesha Counties.

The WIRED initiative, which stands for Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development, aims to foster new partnerships and new ways of delivering education and training in order to enhance the talent development system for the region. The RWA is leading the implementation of the WIRED grant from the U.S. Department of Labor.  The Milwaukee 7, as the region’s economic development force, is also involved in the initiative.

One component of the WIRED initiative for southeastern Wisconsin is the WIRED Innovation Fund, a $2.5 million resource that will invest in innovative programs, projects and activities to transform key elements of the talent development system in the region.  Round I of the WIRED Innovation Fund launched April 11, 2008. Applications for funding were accepted in two categories: Exploratory Investments (up to $35,000) and Demonstration Investments (between $35,000 and $100,000).

Round I awardees include three Demonstration Investments: Industrial Machine Repair Boot Camp by GatewayTechnicalCollege and partners; Manufacturing Careers for Youth by the Wisconsin Regional Training Partnership/Big Step and partners; and STEAM – 21st Century Learning meets FIRST Robotics by CESA#1 and partners.

Exploratory Investment awardees include: IT Architecture and Modeling by Gateway Technical College and partners; Milwaukee SOLAR by the Milwaukee Community Service Corps and partners; Careers for Young Adults in the Emerging Water Industry by Milwaukee Community Service Corps and partners; Strategic Plan by Wisconsin Community Services, Inc. and partners; Workplace Diversity Toolkit by Waukesha County Economic Development Corporation and partners; Bridging Valley Communities: A Network Model of Economic Development by  Menomonee Valley Partners; Energy and Automation Course by Saint Thomas More High School and partners; and ConnectED by Milwaukee Public Schools and partners.

“This first round of the WIRED Innovation Fund has a range of projects that will build new partnerships between organizations in key areas such as advanced manufacturing, technology, and career exploration.  The organizations selected in this round will share the outcomes and findings of their project to seed further innovation and partnerships,” said Michael Mortell, RWA / WIRED Coordinator.

"The WIRED Innovation Fund is clearly a catalyst for our region’s economic development, and will enable many organizations to begin to work together proactively on behalf of our region’s economic future.  The fact that CESA #1 has been selected to receive this WIRED grant marks a new era of regional collaboration that will engage our K-12 schools in the effort to establish and maintain a quality talent pool to support our future in southeastern Wisconsin,” said Dr. Tim Gavigan, Executive Director. “CESA #1 is honored to have been selected to partner with this important initiative."

“GatewayTechnicalCollege, in partnership with Sustainable Solutions, is pleased to have been selected to receive a WIRED Exploratory grant,” said Therese Fellner, Director of Business Development at Gateway’s Center for Advanced Technology and Innovation.  "IT Architecture and Modeling is an IT talent development program that will target and prepare IT Professionals for jobs and careers that are in demand in the knowledge economy, today as well in the future.  We’re especially excited about this project as Sustainable Solutions is a new client coming into our business incubation program and this project promises application to not only the Milwaukee 7 Region but statewide for the technical college system as well.”

About WIRED

WIRED, which stands for Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development, is a federal initiative designed to energize the nation’s economy through regional economic development partnerships and workforce education and training. The Milwaukee 7 region of southeastern Wisconsin is one of 39 areas across the United States participating in the WIRED initiative.  Background on the Southeastern Wisconsin WIRED Initiative can be found at:

http://www.milwaukee7-rwa.org/wikihttp://www.milwaukee7-rwa.org/wiki  For details on the national WIRED program, visit http://www.doleta.gov/http://www.doleta.gov

Mayor  Tom Barrett, Waukesha County Executive Dan Vrakas and Washington County Board member Herb Tennies present a check  to CESA 1 for the STEAM Project (21st Century Learning meets First Robotics)  

Mayor Tom Barrett presents a check to WRTP/Big Step for Manufacturing Careers for Youth

Mayor Barrett, Waukesha County Executive Dan Vrakas, and Washington County Board member Herb Tennies present a check to Wisconsin Community Services, Inc. for the Strategic Plan

Mayor Tom Barrett presents a check to St. Thomas More High School for the Energy and Automation Course

  Mayor Tom Barrett presents a check to Menomonee Valley Partners for the Bridging Valley Communities Project

Mayor Tom Barrett presents a check to Milwaukee Community Service Corps. for Careers for Youth Adults in the Emerging Water Industry

Racine County Executive Bill McReynolds presents a check to Gateway Technical College Center for Advanced Technology for IT Architecture & Modeling

Racine County Executive Bill McReynolds presents a check to Gateway Technical College for the Industrial Machine Repair Bootcamp  

Waukesha County Executive Dan Vrakas presents a check to Waukesha County Economic Development Corporation for the Workplace Diversity Toolkit