MADISON – The Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development (DWD) has been selected to participate in an initiative to improve and sustain quality jobs throughout the state. Selection for the U.S. Department of Labor’s Job Quality Academy will support DWD’s efforts to create systems that open the door to more good jobs in Wisconsin.
The Job Quality Academy helps workforce teams in organizations such as DWD develop job quality action plans. Wisconsin is among 16 teams that have been selected to participate. The end goal: increase economic mobility and access to good job opportunities.
“The Job Quality Academy will support and sustain our efforts to give career seekers access to training and in-demand career pathways offering continuous advancement and the capacity to secure good jobs with family-supporting wages and improve overall economic self-sufficiency,” said Amy Pechacek, DWD Secretary-designee.
Through this opportunity, DWD will focus on improving job quality in the childcare, healthcare, agriculture, information technology, and finance or banking sectors. DWD’s core project team will include representatives from the Workforce Development Board of South Central Wisconsin, South Central Federation of Labor (AFL-CIO), and the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families.
The U.S. Department of Labor worked with Jobs for the Future and other national partners to develop the academy, which aims to help the workforce system focus on enhancing good jobs and opportunities for workers. The academy is part of federal agency’s Good Jobs Initiative, which provides critical information to workers, employers, and government agencies as they work to improve job quality and create access to good jobs free from discrimination and harassment for all working people.