Nineteen Milwaukee residents are currently participating in the city's first gener8tor Upskilling cohort, a free program that teaches in-demand digital skills to job seekers.
The program, which began late last month, is a partnership between gener8tor Management LLC, Employ Milwaukee and Microsoft Corp. as part of its Microsoft Airband initiative.
About half of the group is doing a 10-week information technology (IT) administration training and the other half is completing five-week courses in sales and customer service, gener8tor upskilling partnership director Tia Torhorst said.
Participants are working through a self-paced virtual curriculum from Microsoft and LinkedIn. They receive one-on-one support from gener8tor on the skills content, career advice, resume and cover letter writing, and interviewing. They also have access to computers and internet access if needed.
After completing the program, participants will have the opportunity to interview with hiring partners for local in-person roles or remote roles. gener8tor is seeking interested employers and already has some lined up, Torhorst said.
The program is open to any Milwaukee resident but prioritizes people who are unemployed, underemployed or underrepresented in the technology sector, including women and people of color, Torhorst said. Because of the partnership with Microsoft Airband, which is focused on the city's Lindsay Heights neighborhood, the program is also prioritizing residents in that area.
“Black and African Americans tend to have fewer opportunities to develop the digital fluency and skills needed to participate in the digital economy, but we can change this,” Microsoft Airband general manager Vickie Robinson said in a statement.
Nearly 60% of the participants in the first Milwaukee gener8tor Upskilling cohort are people of color and nearly half are women. The largest share of the participants (21%) are aged 45 to 54 and 16% are 55 to 64, Torhorst said.
gener8tor piloted the upskilling program in northeast Wisconsin last year and has since rolled it out to 12 other markets around the country, including Milwaukee.
Employ Milwaukee funded the first Milwaukee cohort. gener8tor is seeking funding through the state's Workforce Innovation Grant Program to finance four cohorts per year going forward, Torhorst said.
Torhorst estimates the next gener8tor Upskilling Milwaukee program will run in early 2022. Interested applicants can learn more and apply at www.gener8torupskilling.com/milwaukee.
