“Employers are saying [too many] students aren’t workforce ready,” says Hermanson. The good news, however, is that the local business and educational communities have already recognized that situation and begun to address it. Innovative partnerships like Craftsman with Character and the Global Business Academy have brought local businesses together with the School District of Janesville and Blackhawk Technical College to introduce students to career opportunities with local employers. “We have made impressive inroads, but more needs to be done,” says Voss. “However, the narrative is starting to change, with more students open to going into the trades.” Growing programs like this is key, according to Hermanson. “We need every student to take advantage of local educational opportunities,” she says. “And we need [more] employers to provide internship opportunities.” Ultimately, the goal of BRE is to ensure businesses grow in Janesville rather than leaving the community to expand. GEA is a perfect example. After constructing an 86,000 square foot fabrication, repair, logistics and training facility, GEA chose to invest an additional $20 million in a technology center for alternative proteins as an expansion project at their new Janesville facility because all the conditions were right. A successful BRE initiative will yield more groundbreakings and growth for Janesville’s existing business base. From Quiet Partner to Major Force A key player in the workforce development programs has been the Forward Foundation, a funder of the Janesville Business Hub where Janesville Business Academy classes are held. Besides the aforementioned involvement in projects like ARISENow and the Children’s Museum of Rock County, Forward Foundation is evolving from a quiet behind-the-scenes force to a more public role. The launch of their Vision Forward Fund (VFF) in August 2023 provided a framework and a funding structure to expand the foundation’s impact and scope. Thanks to community partners that invested $500,000, the VFF is providing seed and booster funding to initiatives identified as growth opportunities in Janesville. One of those initial opportunities is in the area of local child care, identified as a Policy Priority Area by Forward Janesville’s Government Relations Council. The first step is the creation of a Child Care Directory. Claire Gray, Forward Janesville’s Director of Policy and Strategic Initiatives, says that the directory will serve the needs of three crucial stakeholder groups: parents, providers and employers. “When looking at the child care issue,” Gray says, “one thing we heard consistently across stakeholder groups was that they weren’t sure where to go to find care. The Child Care Directory will help eliminate that initial hurdle by providing a centralized location for care options in the Janesville area.” Gray says that the directory will contain a map view so careseekers can easily see where providers are located, an important function because parents often select a provider based on location. Each provider will have a profile that tells their story and provides key information about their operations and programming. There is also a “quick compare” view, so careseekers can easily evaluate providers side-by-side to make the best choice for their families. “The Foundation’s seed funding to get Forward Janesville’s Child Care Directory off the ground was essential,” says Gray. “We’re so thankful for the Foundation’s support and look forward to launching the Directory in the first half of 2025.” Responding to housing concerns identified by the BRE survey, Forward Foundation is partnering with the UW-Whitewater Fiscal and Economic Research Center (FERC) on a housing study to determine the extent of shortages or surpluses, identify supply and demand, and ascertain how income factors into the results. The FERC study was another VFF seed project. Forward Foundation helped develop, and will continue to update, its Community Dashboard, which captures forty metrics in ten categories, compiling valuable local data in relation to the economy, education, innovation, safety, infrastructure, business climate, and quality of life in one convenient spot. This important snapshot is a valuable tool that identifies trends, monitors progress, improves collaboration, and aids in datainformed decision-making. The Community Dashboard’s data is updated annually in partnership with Blackhawk Technical College, the City of Janesville, the Janesville Area Convention & Visitors Bureau, the Janesville Police Department, the School District of Janesville, the School District of Milton, the Southwest Wisconsin Workforce Development Board, and UW-Whitewater at Rock County. The Dashboard also utilizes publicly available data sources from the County Health Rankings & Roadmap, the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Rock County and the U.S. Census Bureau. Thanks to the community’s investment and input, Forward Foundation is moving from quiet partnership into bold, visible leadership. With the support of the business community, the Foundation will help keep the Janesville area moving in a positive direction on all fronts, not just in 2025 but for years to come. 10 | FORWARD JANESVILLE Eighty-four percent [of the respondents] say that the current business environment enables them to grow. 73 percent say they plan to hire, with 58 percent planning to expand in the next 12 months. GEA breaking ground on its Technology Center in 2024; the goal of BRE is to ensure more businesses expand in Janesville like GEA did
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