Fox Cities Chamber: Two New North Talent-Development Initiatives Receive State, National Honors

Press release from the Fox Cities Chamber:

October 19, 2021

New North Inc. was the recipient of the 2021 WEDA Community & Economic Development Award in the Talent Development category for gener8tor Upskilling. The award recognizes programs that have driven successful talent-development efforts to strengthen the Wisconsin workforce.

“Economic developers and the businesses and entrepreneurs they work with daily are the unsung heroes of the economy. They work tirelessly to help make their communities thrive,” says WEDA President and CEO Mary Perry. “New North really walks the talk when it comes to diversity and inclusion. Its gener8tor Upskilling platform, under President Barb LaMue’s leadership, focused on reaching and serving underserved and underrepresented persons. In the Northeast Wisconsin cohorts, 44 percent were women and 34 percent were persons of color."

The gener8tor Upskilling initiative, launched in August 2020, is a free concierge program for individuals ready to learn digital skills in order to apply for in-demand jobs. It is a partnership between New North Inc., Microsoft, Thrivent and the Steve Stricker American Family Foundation.

The first such program in the nation, it is based around a self-paced, virtual curriculum to earn industry-recognized certifications, along with one-on-one support from the gener8tor team on resume writing and interview skills. gener8tor Upskilling since has expanded to six additional states, and the fourth cohort of the program within the New North region currently is taking place.

In the fourth cohort there were 111 applicants, of which 27 were selected to take part, the majority in IT Administration. One-third of the participants were women, and the same number identified as BIPOC. The majority of those in the fourth cohort were ages 25-44, while 37 percent were unemployed.

Another New North program focused on talent attraction – New North Hires Heroes, a partnership with Mission Wisconsin – also was a finalist for the WEDA award. This initiative centers around connecting transitioning service members and their families with businesses and communities in the New North region. The third finalist also was from the New North region.

This press release was produced by the Fox Cities Chamber. The views expressed here are the author’s own.