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ETI Research in the News

• Strong and concentrated city birth populations a factor in Milwaukee Public Schools facilities planning.

• December 2011 Drilldown for the Milwaukee Area Workforce Investment Board: An estimated 70,500 city of Milwaukee residents (or 28% of the total employed labor force) worked for educational institutions, health establishments, and social service agencies, according to the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey 2010, released in December. Federal, state and local governmental support for these industries is key to the economic health of the city's workforce.
• November 2011 Drilldown According to CES data for the Milwaukee metro area, monthly employment for temp agencies has risen to pre-recessionary levels while employment in manufacturing is more than 20,000 less than the 2008 levels.
• October 2011 Drilldown Enrollments of Milwaukee County children in BadgerCare Plus are up by 4% over last year. Enrollments of non-parent adults in the Core Plan are down by almost 40%.
• September 2011 Drilldown: Adjusted gross income for working age married and single tax filers averaged $153,410 per filing unit in the North Shore ZIP code 53217, compared to $20,230 per filing unit in 53206, according to 2010 state income tax returns.
  August 2011 Drilldown: Extreme racial isolation of African American youth is continuing in the Milwaukee metro area with 92% living within the city of Milwaukee, while 60% of white youth live in the three exurban counties. According to the 2010 Census only 11% of youth under age 15 are minorities in Ozaukee and Washington counties.

• ETI voter ID study and background research used by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel editorial board, elected officials, U.S. Senate hearings, and the courts.
• WUWM won awards for coverage of the Greater Milwaukee Foundation Vital Signs project, conducted in collaboration with ETI and 211@Impact.

Impact of the Recession on the Milwaukee Labor Force

Labor market drilldowns for the Milwaukee Area Workforce Investment Board on the employed and unemployed workforce in Milwaukee County. First page summaries:

December 2011 | November 2011 | October 2011 | September 2011 | August 2011 | July 2011 | June 2011 | May 2011 | April 2011 | March 2011 | Feb 2011 | Jan 2011 | more

25 to 1 job gap in Milwaukee's innercity, according to ETI regional job openings survey.
See ETI publications list for full reports.

Recent Publications

Analysis of Milwaukee Births: Diversity and Concentration describes recent research for Milwaukee Public Schools and the Milwaukee Area Workforce Investment Board on birth trends in the city of Milwaukee and 2010 Census data on African American, Latino, and white youth populations throughout the four-county metro area. Milwaukee showed a stable number of annual births (around 10,500) in the first half of the last decade with increases to above 11,000 in 2007 - 2009. The decline in births among white children is more than offset by increases among Hispanics, with highest concentrations of city births on the near south side.

The 2010 Census showed racial isolation of African American youth continuing in the metro area. While the birth data is showing substantial movement of African Americans within the city of Milwaukee, the Census showed very limited movement of African Americans to communities outside the city. In the Milwaukee metropolitan area, 92% of the African American youth under age 15 live in the city of Milwaukee while only 5% live in the Milwaukee County suburbs and even fewer (3%) live in the three suburban (Waukesha, Ozaukee and Washington) counties.

Earned Income Tax Credits to 66,000 Employed Families in Milwaukee County during the Economic Recession uses 2009 state income returns (filed in 2010) to gauge the impact of federal and state earned income tax credits by family unit and neighborhood. As the recession worsened, the credits aided parents in low-wage jobs along with many who were forced into lay-offs or unable to find full-time year-round work. In 11 ZIP codes over half of working-age family tax filers (with dependents) received the credits, and in 3 south side suburbs (Cudahy, St. Francis and South Milwaukee) a third or more of families filing tax returns received the credit. Overall in Milwaukee County the federal/state EICs helped lift the income of about 11,000 single parent families and 1,700 married couple families above the poverty level, but still leaving more than 25,800 employed single tax filers with dependents and 5,800+ married filers with dependents in poverty.

Working Paper on Poverty and the Recession reviews poverty data from the U.S. Census Bureau 2009 American Community Survey. The data show very serious problems of poverty in Milwaukee (where 1 out of 4 residents was living below the poverty level); in Racine, Eau Claire and Madison (where 1 in 5 residents was living in poverty); and in Kenosha and Green Bay (where 1 in 6 residents was estimated to be living in poverty). Among major cities with 250,000+ populations, in ACS 2009 Milwaukee's poverty was statistically tied with 7 cities: Buffalo, St. Louis, Miami, Memphis, Cincinnati, Philadelphia, and Newark. (In ACS 2008 Milwaukee's poverty rate was statistically tied with 15 large cities.)

Milwaukee is not the fourth poorest city in the nation, as the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel headlined. The ACS data identified 44 cities with higher poverty rates and 69 cities in a statistical tie with the city, using the methodology recommended by the Census Bureau. What makes Milwaukee unique is the isolation of the urban poor in the central city. The city of Milwaukee houses 73% of the 4-county area's poor residents compared to 33% of residents with incomes not below the poverty level. This gap was among the highest for the major cities studied.

Indicators of Economic Need papers describe changes in employment, housing foreclosures, laid-off workers receiving unemployment insurance, and area individuals and families using government safety nets during the recession. These "Vital Sign" data are updated monthly on the Greater Milwaukee Foundation website. The July 2010 update showed 1 in 3 Milwaukee area children (under age 19) without private health insurance and covered by BadgerCare Plus (1 in 2 children in Milwaukee County). One in 7 residents of the 4-county area is using the federal FoodShare program to help with their grocery bills. Housing foreclosures continue to be a serious problem; foreclosure court filings were up 17% in Waukesha County in the first half of 2010 compared to the same period of 2009.

Third Year Evaluation of the Center for Driver's License Recovery and Employability assessed the program outcomes for clients completing driver's license recovery case management from 2007 through 2009. Under the CDLRE service delivery model, clients are provided advice on the steps they need to take to restore or obtain their driving privileges. Case managers and legal staff provide training to clients on how to work through the municipal and circuit court systems, identify deadlines and action steps required, and arrange for community service and payment plans (if they are unable to pay outstanding fines). The emphasis is on personal responsibility, with clients trained to redress future licensing problems on their own. See also background on the driver's license issue.

• The program is serving an increasingly difficult population -- with higher unemployment (only 13% of 2009 clients had full-time jobs), more referrals from the courts and state Department of Corrections (23% of clients in 2009, compared to 11% in 2007), and with more legal problems.
• CDLRE driver's license recovery success rates remained very high -- 57% for the 3-year period.
  
• Over 5,000 Milwaukee County residents received assistance -- case management or license recovery planning advice -- in 2007-2009.
  
• The program continues to reach the hard-so-serve target populations -- 66% males, 92% minorities, all low-income.
  
• More clients are receiving legal assistance: 62% of the 2009 clients having 3 or more legal problem areas. Clients had cases in over 100 different municipal courts.
  
• Use of community service hours to redress outstanding fines has decreased since Milwaukee municipal courts eliminated this option for the low-income clients. Previously 75% of the clients using community service (volunteer work to pay off fines at a rate of $10/hour) were successful in obtaining their license.

Losing Ground: 2010 Report Card on Apprentices in the Construction Trades found disproportionate impacts of apprenticeship job losses for African Americans in the Milwaukee area. African Americans comprise only 147 of the 1,740 union and non-union apprentices. The higher unemployment rate for African American apprentices cannot be explained by the "last hired, first fired" adage. On average, African Americans who were unassigned had started their apprenticeship programs 11 months before the unassigned white apprentices. This is the third report card on local joint apprenticeship committees and contractors prepared collaboratively with the NAACP Milwaukee Branch.

Understanding the UI Population in Milwaukee County analyzes the workforce needs of laid-off workers receiving weekly unemployment insurance (UI) payments. (See 3-page summary.) Twelve variables were identified to categorize needs of the current UI population and to evaluate the effectiveness of program funded through the Milwaukee Area Workforce Investment Board:

• timing of workers' layoffs (72% of those on UI had lost their jobs in 2009 when the UI population showed its most dramatic increases)
• job status during the layoff period (only 9% were on reduced hours work status)
• workers expecting to be recalled to their jobs (58% were on permanent layoff)
• number of recent employers (16% had 3 or more recent employers)
• workers running out of UI benefits (59% of temp workers and 50% of finance and insurance workers had exhausted their state UI benefits)
• UI benefit levels (68% of laid-off construction workers were receiving maximum UI benefits compared to only 5% of laid-off child care workers)
• prior wages by gender and type of business (better-paying jobs for laid-off female workers had been in communications/information, professional services and manufacturing; better-paying jobs for men in communications/information, manufacturing and construction)
• geography of employment (only 26% of men from 9 inner city Milwaukee zip codes were receiving maximum UI benefits, compared to 52% of men from the rest of Milwaukee County)
• age of workers (only 8% of laid-off workers are nearing retirement age)
• driver's license status
• ex-offenders from the state corrections system (15% of the UI population were ex-offenders)
• parents in the CARES and Shares public assistance systems (11% of UI workers were W-2 clients, 4% received Wisconsin Shares, and 8% were other parents receiving government support).

Transitional Jobs Technical Assistance Guide offers a resource for local governments and community agencies developing public service/transitional jobs programs to engage workers on layoff or unable to find employment during the current recessionary period. It provides a four-step process for identifying job responsibilities and transferable skills for public service jobs using online resources (O*NET, the DOL Occupational Outlook Handbook, SCANS skill lists, and the job openings studies). A 1995 ETI reprint provides background materials for 57 potential CJS job titles. Sample O*NET resources are identified which can be used at no cost.

Drilldown on African American Male Unemployment and Workforce Needs provides an overview of the employment status of black males, using American Community Survey data. The unemployment rate for black males in Milwaukee County was 16.4% in 2008, more than double the rate for white males (5.8%) and Hispanic males (8.1%). Employment rates were highest for African American males of prime working age (ages 25 through 54) where 87.6% were employed and 12.4% unemployed in 2008. Unemployment rates were worst for male teens and young adults in the labor force (39.5% and 37.1%).

Education matters. The highest annual wage earnings were reported for African American men with 4-year college degrees or more ($61,754). Lowest average annual wages were seen for GED/HSED holders ($14,539) and high school non-completers ($18,210).

Transportation matters. Average annual wages for those driving alone to work were almost 50% higher than wages of other workers.

Of particular concern are unemployed workers without recent employment. A majority (51%) of the unemployed male population had worked within the last 12 months and another 31% had worked within the last 1-5 years, while 18% had not worked in the last 5 years. As the Employment and Training Institute has consistently cautioned, institutional data bases (including unemployment insurance files, driver's license records, prison release records, job service and income maintenance system records) should be used to help identifyactual populations of African American males in the Milwaukee labor force and to establish priorities for workforce services. (See 2-page drilldown summary.)

A series of reports were prepared for the Milwaukee Area Workforce Investment Board (MAWIB), the Greater Milwaukee Foundation, and the community to identify workforce investment needs of the Milwaukee area labor force:

Understanding the Unemployed Workforce in Milwaukee County examines the industries and earnings of 48,131 workers in Milwaukee County who were laid off from their jobs and drew unemployment insurance benefits in Second Quarter of 2009. The manufacturing sector showed the sharpest declines and largest wage losses. For those 14,747 workers earning prior quarterly wages of at least $10,000, 57% were employed in manufacturing and 24% in construction. The downturn in the economy was felt throughout Milwaukee County with 30% of the county's UI population living in the suburbs and 70% in the City of Milwaukee. However, 95% of those with exhausted benefits were city rather than suburban residents. This research provides baseline data for determining the numbers and industries of workers who remain permanently laid-off, find other employment, or return to their jobs. (See 2-page summary drilldown.)

Health Occupation Drilldowns for Milwaukee County profiles licensing patterns for currently state-licensed professionals in 7 key occupations. The number of annual registrants of nurses (RNs) more than doubled from 2000 to 2008. These include newly trained nurses, LPNs upgrading to RN licensing, and in-migrants seeking a Wisconsin license. The state data showed the following average annual numbers of health professionals licensed from Milwaukee County: 500 RNs, 140 licensed practical nurses, and 119 physical therapists, but only 19 dental hygienists, 16 occupational therapists, 7 occupational therapy assistants, and 12 physical therapist assistants. The health field remains one of the strongest employment sectors in Milwaukee County and offers advancement opportunities for trained professionals. (See 2-page summary drilldown.)

Ex-Offender Populations in Milwaukee County describes the employment needs of 22,985 adult ex-offenders released to Milwaukee County from the Wisconsin Department of Corrections and 8,167 adults on probation or parole. The prison population is mostly male (88%) and two-thirds African American. Most of the adults admitted to and released from DOC facilities are of prime working age. Only 6% of released prisoners had a valid driver's license with no suspensions or revocations. The research is critical to determine employment training and job placement needs of one of the most difficult-to-serve populations in the labor force. (See 2-page summary.)

Occupational Shifts in Private Industry in the Milwaukee Metro Area tracks 10-year declines in private sector blue collar jobs and large increases in professional workers, based on analysis of EEO-1 reports filed by companies with 100 or more workers. The EEO reports cover 339,669 private sector employees in the four-county area. Significant occupational shifts were observed. Companies are reporting far fewer workers engaged as skilled craftsmen, semi-skilled operatives, and unskilled laborers and increases in workers employed as professionals (usually with a four-year college degree or more), managers, sales workers, technicians (usually with 2+ years of college or technical training), and office staff. Minorities hold 45% of laborer jobs but only 8% of managerial jobs in the larger private firms of the metro Milwaukee area. This analysis identifies key labor force issues for both training and long-range workforce planning. (See 2-page summary.)

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Socio-Economic Analysis of Issues Facing Children and Families in Milwaukee Public Schools
As a planning supplement to the annual count of school children in the city of Milwaukee, the Employment and Training Institute assembled institutional and administrative data bases to help identify neighborhood issues of concern to educators. Nine high-poverty Milwaukee zip codes are analyzed in detail: 53204, 53205, 53206, 53208, 53210, 53212, 53216, 53218, and 53233. (See also Research Brief Presentation for Milwaukee Public Schools and State of the Central City Presentation for the Milwaukee Boys and Girls Clubs.)

Mobility rates among MPS families can be expected to continue at very high levels. While the number of regular housing sales in the 9 zip codes have dropped to pre-2002 levels, sheriff sales for foreclosed housing has risen from 828 in 2006 to 1,419 in 2007, and up to almost 2,600 houses in 2008. In many neighborhoods houses in foreclosure and scheduled for sheriff sales are found on nearly every block -- contributing to displacement of renters, abandoned properties, and neighborhood deterioration.

The Wisconsin incarceration rate, second in the U.S. for African Americans, results in hundreds of ex-offenders released each year into the neighborhoods where MPS students are most concentrated.

In the inner city there were 12,438 traffic accidents reported in 2008 and 35% of these were "hit and run," where the driver did not remain at the scene to aid victims or report damages. In zip code 53204, 46% of traffic accidents were "hit and run." Parking near schools is an issue, with 4,003 thefts of vehicles in the 9 zip codes (an average of 11 per day) and thousands of thefts from motor vehicles.

A major concern is the number of parents receiving federal-state subsidized child care that may be keeping their children in day care full-time rather than enrolling them in early childhood education in the public or private schools. Only about a fourth of Milwaukee's 3-year-olds are enrolled in pre-kindergarten schooling. An estimated 20% of Milwaukee four-year-olds are not in schools, and about 15% of five-year-old Milwaukee children may not attend kindergarten. In 2008-09 the subsidy for Milwaukee County children in full- and part-time care was $7,040 per child. The research found a lack of data available on educational and developmental outcomes for children in care, wages paid to staff and administrators, qualifications of staff in daily contact with the children, curricula used, planned activities, and transportation costs. MORE>>

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Job Openings in the 7-County Milwaukee Region
A May 2009 survey of employers in the seven-county Milwaukee region showed an estimated 7,520 full-time and 3,449 part-time openings. Openings were down by 16,100 from those reported in May 2006. The combination of workers laid off from their jobs and lower openings available led to an unprecedented 13 to 1 job gap in the region between people seeking work and full-time jobs available. The job gap in inner city Milwaukee was 25 to 1. (See also Presentation to the Regional Workforce Alliance and 1-page summary for the Milwaukee Area Workforce Investment Board.)

The health industry was the dominant force in the current job market. One out of every 4 full-time openings and one out of every 3 part-time openings was in a health-related field (either directly providing health care or working for a health-care provider). The largest openings in health were for 731 registered nurses, 689 nursing assistants (CNAs), 274 health technologists and technicians, 161 licensed practical nurses, 121 health aides, and 92 pharmacists.

Technical training was essential for a majority of jobs available in the region. Half of full-time openings and 65% of part-time openings required education, technical training and/or occupation-specific experience beyond high school but short of a four-year college degree. Limited (non-health) opportunities were available for food service supervisors, computer specialists, truck drivers, receptionists, office clerks, and billing clerks.

The labor market has nearly dried up for unskilled workers lacking a high school diploma and occupation-specific experience. In May 2006 there were an estimated 6,548 full-time openings for these workers; in May 2009 there were less than 500 such openings. Only 1% of job openings in the health fields were open to unskilled workers lacking a high school diploma. Job demand for blue collar entry level workers took the greatest hits. Full-time openings for handlers, helpers and laborers were down 94% compared to 3 years ago, and demand for workers in transportation and material-moving occupations dropped by 71% for full-time openings.

For college grads the most promising job opportunities were for nurses, elementary and secondary teachers (replacing baby boomer retirees), engineers, and business majors (in accounting, finance, and marketing, although a majority of the jobs required experienced professionals). Computer jobs were down to 1/5 of prior levels. MORE>>

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Milwaukee Children Most Impacted by the Recession
Data on child poverty rates within Wisconsin schools show that Milwaukee Public Schools now educate 25% of all Wisconsin students (public and private) from low-income families of poverty, but only 3% of middle income children in the state. Over the last six years, even as its total enrollment has declined, MPS has enrolled a higher number (and percentage) of poor children. Within the Milwaukee metropolitan area, MPS has become largely responsible for educating the poor (with 88% of MPS students eligible for free or reduced price lunches) while the suburban and outer ring public school districts educate the middle class (with 86% of their students not eligible for subsidized meals).

The concentration of poverty among Milwaukee families attending MPS has reached the point where 92% of MPS students now attend a school where over half of the children are poor and 67% attend a building with extreme concentrations of poverty (that is, where over 75% of the students are poor). In the suburban schools, only 4% of students attend a school where half of the children are poor and only 1% attend a high-concentration poverty school.

Indicators of Need in Milwaukee's Poorest Neighborhood: Zip code 53206. In 2004 and 2005 this neighborhood was targeted by 60 different mortgage companies -- most from out-of-state -- issuing subprime loans. As of 2006, a majority (62%) of young men had been incarcerated in state prison. In 2008 this neighborhood was selected by Milwaukee philanthropist Joseph Zilber for a 10-year Zilber Neighborhood Initiative.

The Drivers License Status of the Voting Age Population in Wisconsin .
First-time analysis of drivers license issues based on the race and ethnicity of drivers and unlicensed adults in Wisconsin. Less than half (47%) of African American adults and 43% of Hispanic adults in Milwaukee County have a valid driver's license, compared to 85% of white adults in the balance of Wisconsin outside Milwaukee County.

Jobs for Workers on Relief in Milwaukee County: 1930s-1990s (scanned PDF file, 5.4 mb)
From 1930 to 1995 Milwaukee city and county governments created thousands of jobs for families and individuals who could not find unsubsidized employment and who sought county relief.

Confronting Anti-Urban Marketing Stereotypes: A Milwaukee Economic Development Challenge

CHILD CARE NEEDS AND BARRIERS TO EMPLOYMENT
ETI surveys of central city Milwaukee workers have repeatedly identified two areas as barriers to employment: child care and transportation to jobs. When AFDC was eliminated for most low-income families, the federal government invested in largescale support for child care. The Shares program in Wisconsin now provides $145 million per year in subsidies in Milwaukee County, the largest government jobs programs (i.e., for child care workers) in the metro area. Issues of costs, quality of care, and employment patterns of subsidized parents are critical to the integrity of the Wisconsin Shares program.

DRIVER'S LICENSE OBSTACLES TO EMPLOYMENT
Among the most critical barriers facing central city workers are the thousands of suspensions and revocations imposed on drivers in Wisconsin for failure to pay fines and civil forfeitures. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel editorial board has issued recommendations, based in part on ETI studies of license suspensions by race and neighborhood.

JOB OPENINGS SURVEYS
The job vacancies methodology developed by the UWM Employment and Training Institute has been adopted as a national model by the U.S. Department of Labor and is now used by at least 15 states for statewide surveys and by 15 major metro areas to determine job needs by region. The surveys allow tracking of employment and training needs through periods of economic growth and help measure changing needs of employers during recessionary periods. The most recent Milwaukee regional job vacancy survey was conducted in May 2009. For this survey, 3,867 employers provided detailed data on their current job vacancies (through mail surveys, follow-up phone interviews, and web postings).

LEARNING FROM THE WPA
In 1936 the Milwaukee city government alone created 12,000 year-round WPA jobs in construction, education, health and office work for men and women heading families hardest hit by the Great Depression. Women working in shifts of three to four hundred operated a sewing center which made nearly a million articles of clothing for needy families and children in the community. By 1940 Milwaukee County "relief workers" had helped build one of the finest park systems in the nation. Many of the challenges faced in the 1930s must be addressed in developing anti-recessionary programs today. Most serious will be access of African Americans to infrastructure jobs: a 2007 City of Milwaukee study found that African American-owned firms obtained only 1.5% of the city's nearly $200 million outlays for contracted work. The City's population is 40% African American.

MILWAUKEE'S HOUSING CRISIS
Home ownership rose by 10,715 in Milwaukee County from 2000 to 2006. Subprime lending dropped but high-interest rate mortgages rose 35% (2005 to 2006, Milw. County). Nearly 1/3 of Milwaukee renters are spending at least half their income on housing in 2006 (up from 21% in 2000). High-risk borrowing in ZIP code 53206 continues at all-time high, with 60 subprime lending firms (nearly all from out-of-state) issuing mortgages in this poorest Milwaukee neighborhood. In 2008 home ownership rates dropped dramatically in the inner city.

MINORITY ACCESS TO JOBS AND HOUSING
The Institute has prepared a series of report cards on housing integration throughout the U.S. and hiring practices of Milwaukee area companies and governments. Interactive diversity tables are available for every U.S. census tract. According to the most recent NAACP report card, African Americans hold only 10% of the apprenticeships in Milwaukee area construction trades, Latinos hold 6% of the apprenticeships, and women (of all races) hold only 3% of apprenticeships. Access of minorities and women to construction jobs will be critical as the federal government under the Obama Administration utilizes infrastructure and housing construction work as major anti-recessionary measures.

PRISON RATES AMONG MILWAUKEE WORKERS
For Milwaukee County men in their late twenties, 2 in 5 African Americans, 1 in 20 Latinos, and 1 in 20 whites have been incarcerated in state correctional facilities. In Milwaukee's poorest ZIP code (53206), 62% of young men in their early 30s have been imprisoned and face multiple employment barriers upon release.

SCHOOL TO WORK CURRICULUM AND RESEARCH
ETI job openings research identify increased job opportunities for college grads (i.e., computer programs linking math and computer science), technical college training (i.e., welding, "hybrid" health care jobs), and Milwaukee Job Corps enrollees. Model curriculum materials prepared with high school and technical college teachers show how to help students learn about the local labor market and document their job readiness skills.

VOTER ID ISSUES
Employment and Training Institute research was used in the dissenting opinion by Supreme Court Justice David Souter in the Indiana voter ID case, was at the heart of U.S. Justice Department disagreements over Georgia's photo ID law, and is recommended in law review articles as the standard for empirical research needed to determine the constitutionality of state voter ID laws.

WELFARE RESEARCH
The Employment and Training Institute was selected by the State of Wisconsin to evaluate two major welfare reform programs initiated in the 1980s when Wisconsin showed declines in AFDC caseloads. The workfare (CWEP and WJET) evaluation utilized experimental and quasi-experimental designs to measure changes in family earnings and AFDC caseloads in 31 Wisconsin counties initiating new programs, but found no positive impact for the programs above what families achieved on their own during a healthy economic period. The Learnfare evaluation examined school attendance records for over 50,000 Wisconsin low-income teenagers. None of the school districts studied showed improvements in attendance for teens under the policy.

The welfare policies of the 1990s and 2000s were designed primarily to reduce the welfare rolls for all persons deemed capable of securing private-sector employment during a period of economic growth. New safety net approaches are needed as unemployment rates soar and unskilled workers find less access to lower-skilled jobs.

WORKFORCE TRAINING
Technical assistance and research projects focus on meeting regional needs for workers and improving WIA and TANF training and employment services to ex-offenders and other hard-to-serve populations. The UWM Employment and Training Institute provides technical assistance to the Milwaukee Area Workforce Investment Board (MAWIB) and Regional Workforce Alliance. Research and policy papers detail the demographics of low-income working families and identify the strengths and availability of the central city labor force. A first-time Milwaukee County study identified the employment experience of 48,131 laid-off workers receiving unemployment insurance benefits.

Vincent Toran, founder of BIG STEP, the Building and Industry Group Skilled Trades Employment Program, died in Milwaukee on June 2, 2011. He was 86. After serving in the U.S. Army in the Pacific in World War II, Toran became the first African American to complete an apprenticeship in Wisconsin. From the late 1960s until his retirement, he worked to break down barriers and open up doors for African Americans in the building trades. Toran is credited with helping 1,300 minorities and women get into the construction trades. Obituary | Report card on minority apprenticeships

Mary Kellogg Rice, art director for the Milwaukee WPA Handicraft Project and author of Useful Work for Unskilled Women, died at her home in Tiburon, California on January 6, 2011. She was 100. The WPA project that Rice supervised provided work for over 5,000 Milwaukee County women and men during the Great Depression and enriched the lives of children at the county orphanage, county hospital, and in nursery and elementary schools throughout Wisconsin. Obituary | Book review