Employ Milwaukee has created a new workforce initiative that will provide training at no cost and result in a guaranteed job interview at Advocate Aurora Health.
The Milwaukee Healthcare Workforce Initiative is a three-year project funded by a $500,000 grant from the Medical College of Wisconsin’s Advancing a Healthier Wisconsin Endowment. It’s designed to increase underrepresented populations’ access to quality health care careers, Employ Milwaukee said.
The training component will include job shadowing, an introduction to hospital operations, and an overview of health care career paths and job application support. Curriculum will cover direct health care roles as well as those in administration, environmental services and food services departments.
Participants who complete the program are guaranteed job interviews at Advocate Aurora Health.
“In today’s climate, the need for increased numbers of trained health care workers is significant,” said Chytania Brown, president and chief executive officer of Employ Milwaukee. “At the same time, unemployment remains too high for people of color in Milwaukee. We’re excited to bring this solution-oriented program to the table.”
Candidates will be recruited from partner organizations: Social Development Commission, JobsWork MKE, Greater Milwaukee Urban League, RiverWorks Development Corp. and Journey House.
Nationally, health care careers account for the largest gap between available talent and the number of job openings, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Wisconsin is experiencing those shortages across the board, including among registered nurses, lab technologists, surgical technicians and certified nursing assistant roles.
Advocate Aurora was dealing with staffing shortages prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the situation has been exacerbated due to increased stress, fatigue and employees contracting COVID themselves, leaders have said.
“Increasing the pool of diverse, qualified job candidates is critical to the future of Milwaukee’s health care industry and to the wellbeing of our residents,” said Dayla Randolph, system vice president of Advocate Aurora Health.
