Impact Report 2021-22: Driving Completion

A man speaks during a webinar.
Jerry Baake, manager of workforce development at Advocate Aurora Health, led a discussion panel of students and employers about the importance of work-based learning on Feb. 23, 2022.

M3 partners are working to engage employers and schools about the importance of providing work-based learning experiences for students from high school through college. These experiences assist students in developing broad, transferable skills for postsecondary education and the workplace. This work has unfolded through multiple channels.

  • Partners hosted two job fairs for more than 600 MPS juniors and seniors seeking internships, early workforce experiences, and seasonal and ongoing employment. The fairs welcomed close to 100 employers.
  • On-campus job fairs for recent MPS graduates helped to better connect students with on-campus employment at MATC and UWM.
  • An M3 webinar for local employers shared the philosophy of work-based learning as a tool to build the region’s diverse talent pipeline.
  • A partnership with Kohler Company allowed the planning and creation of a continuum of progressive work-based learning experiences including site visits, design contests, scholarships and internships.

M3 partners also continue to encourage MPS students to fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), a key application that unlocks opportunities to access grants, loans and aid to help pay for college.

  • The number of MPS students in the class of 2022 who completed the FAFSA was up 8 percent this year (nationally, completions are up 4%). This increase reverses the decline in FAFSA completion rates during the first years of the COVID-19 pandemic, mirroring trends in school districts around the country.
  • Retention grants, as an implemented best practice through the Moon Shot for Equity initiative, are positively impacting persistence rates toward graduation for MATC and UWM students.
  • Both MATC and UWM audited holds on student accounts and eliminated many categories of holds that prevented students from re-enrolling. More students were able to re-enroll this year through hold reform efforts.