Training Workers in "Soft Skills"

As we heard in our last segment, the skills gap - as it affects workers in the Milwaukee area - is about both highly skilled workers and people with lesser skills. And while some employers are looking for workers with very specialized experience, nearly all employers say they need workers with so-called "soft skills" - a good and reliable work ethic, ability to learn and adapt to a job, and good communication skill. But even those skills are lacking in some workers. And so a local foundation - generally known more for its work in aging and childhood issues - has added support for workforce development in the inner city to its priorities.
Jerry Roberts is a program officer with the Bader Foundation, which provided 1.1 million dollars in grants to 23 organizations in 2012. One of them is the group Community Warehouse and its program, Milwaukee Working. Bob Wulf is on the board of the Community Warehouse. Jerry Roberts is a program officer with the Bader Foundation. They spoke with Mitch Teich shortly after the grants were awarded earlier this year.