Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development

Contact: Tony Jewell (608) 266-9806

GOVERNOR PRESENTS JULY WIN AWARD

MADISON—Gov. Tommy G. Thompson today announced that Workforce Resource is being presented the Governor’s Workforce Innovation Award (WIN), which recognizes individuals and organizations that create innovative approaches and outside-of-the-box solutions to develop and sustain Wisconsin’s workforce.

Workforce Resource, a non-profit Job Center Partner in a nine county area in West Central Wisconsin, hopes to address high employee turnover with an innovative program they recently started in their area. The counties involved in the partnership include Barron, Chippewa, Clark, Dunn, Eau Claire, Pepin, Pierce, Polk, and St. Croix.

Employee Investment is a training session for newly hired employees which discusses the very basics of being a quality employee. It stresses the need for a strong work ethic and the need for maturity and a positive attitude in the workplace. It also addresses the very basic problems that exist in employees and the impact those problems can have on their company. It is to serve as a self-awareness tool for employees to help them solve basic issues and become quality employees. With Employee Investment, a company can measure its retention level and gauge the savings it achieves through the program. One of the goals for Workforce Resource is that some of those savings will eventually be returned to employees in the form of retention bonuses.

Because it costs an average of $2000 to hire and train a new employee, high retention problems can become very costly. These costs have a huge impact not only upon employers, but on employees and customers as well.

"The Employee Investment program addresses a very real problem in business today – retaining a quality workforce," Gov. Thompson said. "Workforce Resource has found a truly innovative workforce development tool that will help Wisconsin businesses stay in business."

The WIN award is presented each month to highlight innovative approaches and solutions to overcoming barriers to work, empowering individuals to move up the job ladder, and partnering with employers, educators and local government to do what works to build a stronger workforce.

The award goes to organizations and individuals that significantly advance one or more of the following:

• Enhance the skill level of Wisconsin's workforce.
• Create effective partnerships between education and business, and the public and private sectors.
• Assist young people with career planning and skills training.
• Encourage older workers to remain in or return to the workforce.
• Help low-income, disabled and minority individuals enter the job market and move up the job ladder.

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