The Southwest Wisconsin WDA is comprised of six counties with a total population of approximately 300,000. Job Centers are located in each county seat in Grant, Green, Iowa, Lafayette, Richland and Rock counties. Two specialized Job Centers are also located in Grant County, one at the Southwest Wisconsin Technical College campus in Fennimore and one in Platteville.
This area of Wisconsin is home to some of the first Job Centers in the nation, having established its first integrated Job Centers in 1986. Since that time, the Job Center partnership has grown to encompass the majority of employment and training providers in the Southwestern Wisconsin area. These agencies work together to find the most effective and efficient ways to integrate their employment and training services within the Job Centers. In doing so, staff from different agencies provide a wide array of services through a team structure - jointly delivering many distinct services. Our approach, in Southwestern Wisconsin, is to identify and endorse each agency's area of expertise. The partnership then looks to that agency for leadership and primary guardianship of specific delivery issues.
The Southwest Job Centers are the vehicles through which seamless workforce development services are delivered to our employer, employee and job seeker customers. Serving as an access point for all workforce development services in the area, the Job Center partnership follows the principles of offering universality, customer choice, accountability and program coordination. The Job Centers, through their partners, provide core services and access to intensive services and training services and are generally made up of the required partners, as defined by the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 and the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development, each having their own funding streams. A full array of services is available to customers in a manner in which tracking of expenditures and accountability to the different funding streams are as invisible as possible to the customer.
The service delivery structures within the
Southwest Job Centers are well defined, with strong partnerships and
cooperative relationships firmly established. Current efforts in
continuous improvement reflect the commitment of SWWDB and Job Center partners to maintain and enhance the existing system with an increased dedication to meeting the needs of employers, employees, jobseekers and communities throughout the
Workforce Development Area.
JOB CENTER PARTNER AGENCIES
| Blackhawk Technical College |
|
PRESIDENT: Dr. Eric Larson - (608) 756-4121 The Blackhawk Technical College provides vocational education expertise to the Job Centers and provides leadership in programming related to this area. BTC staff are not housed in any of the Job Centers, but do provide services such as GED/HSED onsite at the Green County Job Center. |
| Grant Co. Dept of Social Services |
|
DIRECTOR: Jon Angeli - (608) 723-2153 GCDSS is housed in the Grant County Job Center and provides primary expertise in the provision of Job Center services utilizing a wholistic, family-based approach. This agency takes the lead on ensuring that staff receive training in technique and practice and this leadership extends to all five counties. In addition, GCDSS functions as the Wisconsin Works (W-2) Administrative Agency for a five-county-wide consortium of Social/Human Service Departments and provides primary leadership for the effective integration of W-2 services within the Job Centers. NOTE: W-2 is Wisconsin's TANF program. |
| Green Co. Dept of Human Services |
|
DIRECTOR: Greg Holcomb - (608) 328-9393 GCDHS houses W-2 related staff at the Job Center, on both a full-time and itinerant basis. It provides leadership in ensuring that a wide range of human services are incorporated into Job Center systems, both onsite and through referral basis. |
| Iowa Co. Dept of Social Services |
|
DIRECTOR: Mike Tiber - (608) 935-9311 ICDSS works closely with staff at the Job Center and contracts with Job Service and the SW-WDB to provide some W-2 services. It provides leadership in ensuring that a wide range of human services are incorporated into Job Center systems, both onsite and through referral basis. |
| Job Service |
|
AREA SUPERVISORS: Bruce Palzkill - (608) 935-3116 Judy Mathews - (608) 741-3400 Job Service provides all its services through the Job Centers and maintains primary leadership for employer services and Job Center capacity building. It also employs 4 of the area's Job Center Teamleaders and maintains the primary job information (job order system) used within the Job Centers. |
| Lafayette Co. Dept of Human Services |
|
DIRECTOR: Tom MacDonald (608) 776-4900 LCDHS houses it's staff and provides services at the Job Center. It provides leadership in ensuring that a wide range of human services are incorporated into Job Center systems. In addition, LCDHS employs the Lafayette County Job Center's Teamleader. |
| Richland Co. Dept of Social Services |
|
DIRECTOR: Randy Jacquet (608) 647-8821 RCDSS houses it's staff and provides services at the Job Center. It provides leadership in ensuring that a wide range of human services are incorporated into the Job Center systems. |
| Rock Co. Dept of Human Service |
|
DIRECTOR: Charmian Klyve (608) 757-5270 RCDHS houses many of it's staff and provides a variety of services at the Job Center. It provides leadership in ensuring that a wide range of human services are incorporated into the Job Center systems. |
| Southwest WI Community Action Program |
|
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: Walter Orzechowski (608) 935-2326 SWCAP coordinates its services, which include HUD, WIC and a range of other service programs, with the Job Centers, both onsite and through a referral basis. It provides primary leadership in ensuring that the Job Centers are knowledgeable of and skilled in accessing housing, emergency food and shelter services and supplemental services for low income individuals and families. |
| Southwest WI Technical College |
|
PRESIDENT: Karen Knox (608) 822-3262 The Southwest Wisconsin Technical College provides vocational education expertise to the Job Centers throughout the area and provides leadership in programming related to this area, including testing. SWTC houses a Job Center on campus and employs the Teamleader at that site. In addition, SWTC provides GED/HSED classes onsite at Job Centers throughout the area. SWTC provides expertise in economic development and customized training for employers, job seekers and Job Center staff. |
| Southwest WI Workforce Development Board |
|
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: Bob Borremans (608) 342-4222
SWWDB provides guidance, leadership and oversight to the Southwest Job Center system and is responsible for evaluating and improving the system's performance. The Board also funds a variety of local service providers to deliver services through the Job Centers. |
| United Migrant Opportunities Services |
|
DIRECTOR: Lupe Martinez (414) 389-6000 UMOS serves the Richland County area, housing its staff in and providing services from the Job Center. It provides primary leadership in ensuring that the Job Centers are aware of and utilize services available for Migrant and Seasonal Farmworkers |
| Vocational Rehabilitation |
|
DIRECTOR: Suzanne Lee (608) 741-3570 Vocational Rehabilitation provides its services through the Job Centers and provides primary leadership in ensuring that services are appropriately provided to persons with disabilities. |
|
