What’s up, Milwaukee?
First, if you ever had any desire to become a welder, machinist, or tool and die worker, now’s the time. There’s about 1500 jobs in those fields available throughout southeastern Wisconsin, but since there’s very few workers skilled in those trades, the jobs are there for the taking. An article in JSOnline.com today reported a UWM study that found the city’s job training programs lacking in effectiveness. Huh, go figure. I mean, if people aren’t into those types of jobs, they shouldn’t be forced to go to school for them, but really, there are probably tons of people who would be interested if they had access to meaningful, instructive, hands on training. One local business trashed MATC’s welding program. I don’t know if it sucks or not, but MATC did respond to the criticism and seem interested in improving their program as quickly as possible. The article stated that there’s a successful job training program in Pittsburgh that “customizes its entire curriculum around local employer needs [something Milwaukee’s failed to do] and lures trainees from the inner city by conducting classes in a funky arts-and-music facility.” This program sounds cool in a way, and clearly inner city folks need more job training options, but it’s not good to try and track mostly one group of people into a certain type of job. I just think of all the working class kids in the 1950s being sent to shop and being confined there. And how do the folks learn all the skills they need to do shit like weld in a “funky arts-and-music facility?” I’m not quite clear, but I might research on this place a bit. Milwaukee needs to get people more invested in their futures. It’s too busy trying to become mini-Chicago, though. I’m glad Governor Doyle asked for this study, now we’ll have to see if anything actually happens.
Next, I read a pretty long piece about the goings on in MPS “big high schools.” It lacked substance, in my opinion. It described a lot about what the author observed in various schools, and he included a few teen voices, and a few teachers’ voices, but it mostly just seemed to blame either the students or the teachers for lacking initiative/effectiveness, even while praising some students and teachers. Nothing was mentioned regarding the red tape that ties teachers’ hands and covers their mouths. Certainly there are tons of ineffectual teachers, but that the article didn’t even mention the lack of resources (well, besides the dwindling arts programs) made it seem a bit unbalanced. Few suggestions for improvement were made, also. It just left me wondering what the point of it was. Everyone knows most public schools are pretty messed up--so what to do??
Finally, my friend sent me an uplifting blurb about Milwaukee and crime. Check it:
“Violent crime incidents reported to police rose by 32% in Milwaukee last year, according to numbers released by the FBI this morning. Reported violent crime in the city was up in all categories, except rape. Homicide was up by 40% and aggravated assault jumped by 57%, the FBI reported.” I’m glad rapes are down, but I’m not looking forward to spending another summer paranoid even while biking along the lake when it’s super shiny sunny, as robberies happen every damn where, mostly after dark, but not always. Supposedly the Mayor and His People and that Touchy Feely Police Bitch are working on shit, but I’ll hand over praise when I see results. It’s pretty obnoxious, though, that “Milwaukee police purchased a $7 million computer system but encountered numerous problems with it last year. Officials have said those problems are being worked out.” Yeah, so I guess that’s why nothing’s being done. They’re all sitting around trying to reconfigure their computers. “Yo, Stan, we gotta go check on a shooting.” “Yeah, in a minute, I gotta reboot and get those last twelve shootings entered first.” Nice. Violent crime is up all around the country, and a Boston criminal justice professor says it’s probably due to the “renewed strength” of the NRA (yeah, those waiting periods are such an infringement on the right to bear arms) and on lowered policing budgets (what the fuck is up with that?).
First, if you ever had any desire to become a welder, machinist, or tool and die worker, now’s the time. There’s about 1500 jobs in those fields available throughout southeastern Wisconsin, but since there’s very few workers skilled in those trades, the jobs are there for the taking. An article in JSOnline.com today reported a UWM study that found the city’s job training programs lacking in effectiveness. Huh, go figure. I mean, if people aren’t into those types of jobs, they shouldn’t be forced to go to school for them, but really, there are probably tons of people who would be interested if they had access to meaningful, instructive, hands on training. One local business trashed MATC’s welding program. I don’t know if it sucks or not, but MATC did respond to the criticism and seem interested in improving their program as quickly as possible. The article stated that there’s a successful job training program in Pittsburgh that “customizes its entire curriculum around local employer needs [something Milwaukee’s failed to do] and lures trainees from the inner city by conducting classes in a funky arts-and-music facility.” This program sounds cool in a way, and clearly inner city folks need more job training options, but it’s not good to try and track mostly one group of people into a certain type of job. I just think of all the working class kids in the 1950s being sent to shop and being confined there. And how do the folks learn all the skills they need to do shit like weld in a “funky arts-and-music facility?” I’m not quite clear, but I might research on this place a bit. Milwaukee needs to get people more invested in their futures. It’s too busy trying to become mini-Chicago, though. I’m glad Governor Doyle asked for this study, now we’ll have to see if anything actually happens.
Next, I read a pretty long piece about the goings on in MPS “big high schools.” It lacked substance, in my opinion. It described a lot about what the author observed in various schools, and he included a few teen voices, and a few teachers’ voices, but it mostly just seemed to blame either the students or the teachers for lacking initiative/effectiveness, even while praising some students and teachers. Nothing was mentioned regarding the red tape that ties teachers’ hands and covers their mouths. Certainly there are tons of ineffectual teachers, but that the article didn’t even mention the lack of resources (well, besides the dwindling arts programs) made it seem a bit unbalanced. Few suggestions for improvement were made, also. It just left me wondering what the point of it was. Everyone knows most public schools are pretty messed up--so what to do??
Finally, my friend sent me an uplifting blurb about Milwaukee and crime. Check it:
“Violent crime incidents reported to police rose by 32% in Milwaukee last year, according to numbers released by the FBI this morning. Reported violent crime in the city was up in all categories, except rape. Homicide was up by 40% and aggravated assault jumped by 57%, the FBI reported.” I’m glad rapes are down, but I’m not looking forward to spending another summer paranoid even while biking along the lake when it’s super shiny sunny, as robberies happen every damn where, mostly after dark, but not always. Supposedly the Mayor and His People and that Touchy Feely Police Bitch are working on shit, but I’ll hand over praise when I see results. It’s pretty obnoxious, though, that “Milwaukee police purchased a $7 million computer system but encountered numerous problems with it last year. Officials have said those problems are being worked out.” Yeah, so I guess that’s why nothing’s being done. They’re all sitting around trying to reconfigure their computers. “Yo, Stan, we gotta go check on a shooting.” “Yeah, in a minute, I gotta reboot and get those last twelve shootings entered first.” Nice. Violent crime is up all around the country, and a Boston criminal justice professor says it’s probably due to the “renewed strength” of the NRA (yeah, those waiting periods are such an infringement on the right to bear arms) and on lowered policing budgets (what the fuck is up with that?).
posted by Jen Threat at
8:33 PM
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