FSET/PACE Program Trains Participants in Business and Finance
August 2009
Twelve Milwaukee area food share recipients graduated from an intensive 114-hour training course in "General Banking and Finance Skills" at Milwaukee Area Technical College in early August, thanks to matching funds from TCF Bank and the FoodShare Employment and Training (FSET) Program. Working through MATC's Partners Advancing Careers & Employment (PACE) Program, the participants attended the voluntary training to help qualify for jobs with banks, credit unions, insurance and consumer finance companies, finance departments and government offices. The class also provided education in consumer skills related to home and car buying. |
Participants in the FSET/PACE Banking and Finance class listen to final words of advice after receiving graduation certificates. |
|
MATC Instructor Howard Weissenborn congratulates Kathy Lee upon her graduation from the Banking and Finance class, as Duane Schultz, director of the MATC Office of Economic Development, looks on. |
MATC Business Instructor Howard Weissenborn taught the four-week class. A former small business owner, Weissenborn said he enjoyed the experience. "It gives me the freedom to teach the practical skills of the business world," he said. "I had the students simulate running a business. They had to order the products, work on mark-up, inventory, scheduling, prepare income statements, and do bookkeeping. The students chose stocks and followed the ups and downs of their investments. They also developed professional portfolios and learned about business etiquette." |
|
Participant Kathy Lee was very pleased with the training she received. "It was very helpful for me," she said. "Math was hard for me when I was in school. But when Mr. Weissenborn taught it, he broke it down into manageable sections. He also took time with each of us to make sure we understood things." Lee is now applying for jobs at banks and credit unions. She already had experience in handling cash from working for eight years at Target, she said, "But I learned so much more from this class."
Nine students completed this same course in 2008. Four months after the class, four participants were employed and three were enrolled in diploma or associate degree classes at MATC, according to Cheralyn Randall, MATC's FSET project manager. |
Instructor Howard Weissenborn reviews materials with student Charles Glover. |
FSET is funded by the Wisconsin Department of Health Services with federal funds from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In the Milwaukee area, FSET funds are administered by the Milwaukee Area Workforce Investment Board (MAWIB), which contracts with various agencies and schools to provide employment, education and training for interested food stamp recipients.
MATC's FSET/PACE program provides case management, academic support, education, child care, transportation, employment assistance and employment retention. As of June 2009, 948 participants were enrolled in MATC FSET program. The students are enrolled in approximately 70 degree or diploma programs, in campus-based adult basic education programs, and at approximately 15 MATC community-based-organization sites.
|
TEXT ONLY