Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett’s Manufacturing Partnership celebrated 10 new graduates of a training program at Herker Industries in Menomonee Falls last week.
Herker specializes in precision machining, contract welding and mechanical assembly. The company’s sales have grown significantly over the last five years and customers have increasingly outsourced processes to Herker, which has contributed to an $8 million investment in equipment and capacity, according to the company.
“Manufacturing is vital to the economic success of our City and the region, and building a skilled workforce is key to these companies and their ability to compete,” Mayor Barrett said. “We have growing companies that need skilled workers, and we have people who need jobs. I am proud of this partnership and our ability to work with local manufacturers like Herker.”
Barrett introduced the Manufacturing Partnership during his State of the City address in February. The program is held in cooperation with the Milwaukee Area Workforce Investment Board, Milwaukee Area Technical College and the Wisconsin Regional Training Partnership and aims to close the skills gap in the manufacturing sector.
“We developed this partnership with the understanding that we have an opportunity to move Milwaukee residents into family-sustaining jobs. This community has been devastated and as this sector of the economy grows we have a real strategy to get people back to work,” said Don Sykes, President/CEO of the MAWIB
WRTP/BIG STEP has assisted the partnership in finding companies who would like to train workers for open positions. This is the third graduation from the program in the last few months, according to the city.
“We have manufacturers throughout Milwaukee and the region struggling to find the skilled workforce they need and our model demonstrates that strong leadership from the private and public sector can solve these challenges,” said Earl Buford, President and CEO of WRTP/BIG STEP.
