Eighteen higher education institutions in southeastern Wisconsin have banded together in a collaborative dedicated to reducing gaps in skills and talent in the region in order to fill jobs in fast-growing, high-demand areas.
UWM is a founding member of the Higher Education Regional Alliance (HERA), which formed in 2018 under the premise that the challenge of meeting the diverse needs of employers in southeastern Wisconsin requires a response from more than just one college or university.
On Tuesday, HERA will host a public launch event at We Energies in downtown Milwaukee. Higher education leaders and regional employers will discuss the initiative as well as ways for attendees to become involved with HERA, which counts public and private institutions and partner organizations among its membership.
HERA’s more specific goals include increasing college completion rates as well as aligning and evolving educational programs to meet employers’ rapidly changing needs. The alliance seeks to connect businesses with talent and promote the value of living and working in southeastern Wisconsin.
Collectively, the two- and four-year colleges and universities collaborating on HERA represent more than 150,000 students across the region. UWM Chancellor Mark Mone chairs the alliance.
“We know that education impacts more than individual lives,” Mone said. “It can change the trajectory of our entire region.”
