How can Milwaukee Area Technical College help minorities and women prepare for skilled trades

Abstract

Minorities and women are under represented in the skilled trades. According to Wisconsin Apprenticeship Standards Bureau, the 2001 representation of minorities and women is down by 25 apprentices. Unfortunately, Milwaukee Area Technical College closed a GED/Apprenticeship Learning Center early in 2001 that successfully prepared approximately 25 minorities and women for construction apprenticeships each year. MATC trains more people for good paying jobs than any other institution around. Short term and long-term solutions can remedy this social, educational and economical problem. Experts from MATC and outside organizations were interviewed to identify effective strategies that could be implemented to negate the disproportion of minorities and women in skilled trades. 1. Establish an Apprenticeship Advisory Committee to give input for future programming and strategies. 2. Establish a comprehensive strategy for the recruitment, training, mentoring, and retention of minorities and women for the skilled trades. 3. Reopen the MATC GED/Apprenticeship Learning Center in partnership with the Skilled Trades Collaborative to foster work ethics, career exploration, and retention. MATC ranks among the best in the world for job training. MATC should take the initiative to do what it does best by implementing the above recommendations to help more minorities and women prepare for the skilled trades.