Healthcare
Not only are the Baby Boomers retiring from the healthcare industry, but they will also increase the need for healthcare services as they age. Individuals 65 or older will number one in every six by 2020 and one in every five by 2030. Currently, there is an inadequate supply of new and replacement workers in this field and a shortage of instructors to meet the need in high growth, high demand healthcare occupations.
High demand is reported for jobs in the health industries where large numbers of full-time openings are reported for registered nurses, health technologist and technicians, health aides, and nursing aides. Demand for health care workers is strong throughout the Milwaukee Region and highest in Milwaukee County where major hospitals and medical centers are located [1]. Milwaukee not only needs to replace retiring workers, but also needs to fill newly created jobs due to increased demand.
To this end, the members of WFA are supporting the creation of a partnership of the Young Women’s Christian Association of Greater Milwaukee (YWCA) and the Milwaukee Area Health Education Center (Milwaukee AHEC) to plan a pilot project that will train workers and get them jobs in the healthcare sector, and can be replicated in the future. This new partnership is called the Milwaukee Area Health Alliance (MAHA). Learn more here.
Learn more about (MAHA) at
http://www.milwaha.org/
A Healthcare Sector Committee includes representatives from 5 major hospital systems in southeastern Wisconsin. They meet regularly to discuss their labor needs and communicate these to the workforce intermediaries to develop shared solutions.
[1] Employment and Training Instutute, Uniersity of WI-Milwaukee, An Analysis of Job openings in the MIlwaukee Region: Job Supply and Demand, September 2006, p.12.