Mayor Barrett Focuses on Jobs and Workforce Readiness In Milwaukee Recovery and Resilience Plan

July 12, 2021

MILWAUKEE—In his Milwaukee Recovery and Resilience Plan, Mayor Tom Barrett is investing $13.8 million to promote job readiness and employment opportunities. The plan uses funds from the federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). The workforce efforts are part of the first phase of ARPA funds to be deployed in Milwaukee.

A key partner in the Mayor’s workforce plan is Employ Milwaukee. The goal of the investments is to connect unemployed and low-wage workers with family supporting jobs and career opportunities.

“Too many residents of Milwaukee are not connected to jobs that pay well or have opportunities for advancement,” Mayor Barrett said. “With the Milwaukee Recovery and Resilience Plan, I propose a range of investments that prepare workers and connect them with jobs and careers. These efforts are important for our residents and important for Milwaukee’s economy.”

The proposals funded in the Mayor’s plan include $6 million for the Job Training Project, which will prioritize training for lead abatement certification. This will include high quality work experiences with connections to employers in in-demand fields.

A Skillful Transitions Project will be funded with $3 million in the Mayor’s Recovery and Resilience Plan. Through Employ Milwaukee, participants between the ages of 18 and 29 will have supported work experiences that offer knowledge building and translatable job skills.

An additional $2.7 million is designated in the Mayor’s plan for a Century City Clean Energy Jobs Project, which will take a strategic approach to connecting residents with jobs in energy, power, and controls industries and in other clean jobs.

Other projects in the Mayor’s plan include advancing technology employment opportunities and apprenticeships. 

This first phase of the Mayor’s Recovery and Resilience Plan will be reviewed by the Milwaukee Common Council over the next several weeks. Working with the Council, the Mayor previously allocated more than $3 million for this summer’s EARN & LEARN youth employment program.

Last August, the Mayor established a policy requiring City departments to integrate explicit consideration of racial equity in all decision making. Every program funded in the Mayor’s plan has been viewed from a racial equity lens.

Additional parts of the Mayor’s Milwaukee Recovery and Resilience Plan, including investments in safety, public health and early childhood will be shared publicly in the coming days.

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