Finding, keeping workforce of the future

Businesses and municipal governments continue to struggle with a basic challenge: There are more jobs available than people to fill them.

“Every discipline that we have, everyone is short of healthcare workers,” said Scott Anderson, dean of health services and education at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College. “In some disciplines, signing bonuses are back.”

Not uncommon is the story of a student who became an intern at a local clinic and was asked if she could stay on after the internship was completed, Anderson said.

NWTC has a variety of programs leading to associate degrees or technical diplomas in the field of health care. About 50% of the training is done in clinical settings and the rest is in simulation labs like the one at NWTC’s main Green Bay campus or Regional Learning Centers like the one in Shawano.

New North, the regional organization that provides marketing and economic development services for 18 counties in Northeast Wisconsin, is in the thick of trying to address the challenge.

“There’s just not enough people to fill the roles and the openings that we have here in the state from an employment standpoint,” said Rebecca Deschane, vice president of talent development at New North.

Deschane recently delivered a well-received presentation at the Wisconsin Counties Association annual conference about recruiting and maintaining the work force of the future.

“What are some of the things you can do at the county level to help create that environment where people want to come,” Deschane said. “How do we create a place that’s going to attract people to you but more importantly how are you going to retain those who already call that home?”

Especially in the northernmost counties, New North has an aging population that’s shrinking all the time, she said. That, and the pandemic-related initiatives that kept people working from home for months, have had a debilitating impact on the job market.

Three key challenges were magnified during the pandemic, Deschane said: child care, transportation, and housing.

For many workers, the lack of affordable child care can be a barrier to employment. Access to public transportation or an alternative is also a challenge, especially in rural areas, and Deschane told the county leaders that understanding housing availability and needs is a key to growing the local workforce.

In the New North region, she highlighted Winnebago Catch-A-Ride, a volunteer program to help people who are not connected to public transportation get to and from work. Drivers are reimbursed for their mileage and can select the schedule that works best for them.

Deschane came to New North earlier this year after eight years with the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp., most recently as talent initiatives coordinator in a joint effort with the University of Wisconsin System.

Her role at the state agency, and now at New North, has been to connect people who have similar challenges and working toward a solution, sharing with each other to reduce duplication of efforts, she said.

“We have a lot of great things that are happening, but a lot of times they’re happening at a very small level with a small group of folks and other people don’t know about them,” Deschane said.

New North, which covers a wide area, has been exploring ways to share ideas, share training opportunities and just have conversations across the region, she said.

“If we all know what each other is doing, all of a sudden you have that organic growth of the engagement that comes from it,” Deschane said.

The organization obtained a $500,000 CARES Act funding grant to investigate broadband access across the region, identified as a core business need. The first step is a survey open through Nov. 12 that has received a tremendous response, she said.

New North is working with some consultants and will share the results with counties and providers with a goal of ensuring that broadband is accessible, reliable and available for all across the region.

During her presentation Deschane shared several talent-based initiatives in which New North is collaborating with other private and public organizations.

New North Hires Heroes is a partnership with Mission Wisconsin, a veteran-owned business that supports transitioning service members and their families as they’re getting ready to leave the military, to connect them with communities and job opportunities.

“We know veterans have those skills that many companies are looking for, especially many of the companies and industries here in the New North region,” Deschane said.

Another initiative is Gener8tor Upskilling, a virtual rapid “reskilling” program for people looking for jobs in high-demand roles in their communities or working remotely for companies across the country. The program supports individuals who were most negatively impacted by pandemic – the hospitality sector, restaurant industry, people who lost their jobs – and retrains them in new fields.

The initiative, in collaboration with Microsoft, the Steve Stricker Foundation and Thrivent, was recognized as the top 2021 talent initiative in Community and Economic Development by the Wisconsin Economic Development Association.

Deschane said New North is also working with the Cooperative Educational Service Agencies (CESA) on a regional career pathway program, to help convince students coming out of high school about their available options.

“How do we help students in our K-12 schools better understand what careers are available to them here in our region across multiple industry areas,” she said.

She worked with CESA and industry organizations to identify four or five key employment areas and job growth opportunities.

The 2020 U.S. Census found that the region’s population has grown by 50,000 over the past decade, and more diverse – a 46% increase in the Hispanic population and 61% more African Americans, for example, she said.

New North has submitted applications for Workforce Innovation Grant through the state of Wisconsin for building out ONE New North (Opportunity North for Equity). Deschane said the effort would help create a space and engagement strategies for recruiting Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) workers.

“How do we do a better job of recruiting BIPOC and under-represented individuals into manufacturing?” she said.

Deschane said she is working with manufacturing alliances to do specific training for new job seekers, people coming out of pandemic looking for more stable career opportunities, and those pivoting to new careers.