A non-profit that specializes in boosting the fortunes of able-bodied residents who may have found it difficult in the past to land and hold good-paying jobs officially opened in Racine Monday.
Wisconsin Regional Training Partnership is occupying unused space in the Technical Building at Gateway Technical College. The Partnership was drawn to Racine because of Foxconn. At a ribbon-cutting ceremony, agency C-E-O Mark Kessenich made some big promises. "We're going to build up our workers and our community," he said. "We're going to elevate every single neighborhood in this community and every resident to the extent that they want to participate in this economy."
The Partnership’s M-O is working with a cross-section of the community to marshal various kinds of support for unemployed or underemployed workers who are seeking to move up the ladder.
Racine County Executive Jonathan Delagrave says the arrival of Foxconn makes it all possible. "We are at a turning point in Racine County's history," Delagrave said. "We've been talking about this for months. And the opportunity that has come along with it is now becoming real."
The Partnership already has a presence in both Milwaukee and Madison.
At Monday's ceremony, the Wisconsin Building Trades Council donated $100,000 to the Partnership’s efforts in Racine.
A video archive of the event is on WGTD's Facebook page.
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