The Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design has been awarded a five-year, $3 million grant from the U.S. Department of Labor to support its AIM High Wisconsin initiative.
AIM High Wisconsin (Apprenticeships in Manufacturing & High Tech) is a public-private partnership led by MIAD providing internship and mentoring experiences for undergraduate and secondary school students that foster career pathways and employment.
Its consortium members include Marquette University’s Opus College of Engineering; MIAD’s long-standing curricular and hiring partners such as Harley-Davidson Motor Company, GE Healthcare, Fiskars, Briggs & Stratton, Trek Bicycle, Delta Faucet and Master Lock; and secondary education partners such as Reagan High School, Pius High School and others.
Through AIM High Wisconsin, the federal funds support the creation over five years of 300 additional undergraduate apprenticeships (internships) in the areas of design, manufacturing, engineering and technology. Funds also support participation of 120 secondary school students in a pre-apprenticeship program to foster skills and career development both in the Milwaukee area and statewide.
AIM High Wisconsin will further build local and regional capacity by educating and training the diverse, technically skilled workforce urgently sought by local employers. The success of this project will improve Southeastern Wisconsin’s economy and reduce demand for outsourced employment. It also ensures a highly diverse, skilled workforce by coordinating outreach especially to women, veterans and minorities.
“AIM High Wisconsin builds off our college’s long-term success of collaborating with businesses in undergraduate mentoring, projects, internships and hiring; our long-standing partnership with Marquette University; and the success of our Pre-College program,” said MIAD President Jeffrey Morin.
“The project is the vision of president emeritus Neil Hoffman, who retired in May, and we are deeply grateful to him. The entire college is energetically engaged in implementing the program to the benefit of our students and the Milwaukee and Wisconsin communities.”
Robert T. Schwartz, FIDSA, DMI, General Manager of Global Design & User Experience at GE Healthcare and a MIAD Trustee, said, “GE Healthcare is proud to partner with MIAD in providing the on-the-job training and essential career experience through the AIM High Wisconsin program.”
“The exceptional apprenticeship, mentoring and training that will be provided in this program will help drive new innovations, provide a specialized employment-ready workforce and help fill critical talent gaps in industrial design in companies like GE Healthcare.”
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