These programs have helped pave the way for young people to build meaningful careers and develop essential workplace skills.
The City of Milwaukee was honored for its exemplary internship and apprenticeship programs by M-Cubed, a partnership among Milwaukee Area Technical College, Milwaukee Public Schools and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee to connect Milwaukee’s youth to clear pathways for higher education.
The city received the Paving the Pathways to Success Award on Wednesday, August 20, during the annual M-Cubed Employer Partner Celebration at the UWM Student Union Ballroom.
M-Cubed partners, represented by MATC President Anthony Cruz, MPS Superintendent Brenda Cassellius and UWM Chancellor Thomas Gibson, recognized 75 regional businesses and industries for giving students opportunities to explore the working world. Representatives from several of the employers participated in a panel discussion at the event.
The city’s programs are part of M-Cubed’s work-based learning initiative, where students from partner institutions can earn a paycheck at area businesses while exploring careers, gauging personal interests and experiencing various jobs.
Students learn about potential careers in law enforcement, manufacturing, food service and hospitality, landscaping, building trades, healthcare, nonprofit, recreation, and transportation.
“These programs have helped pave the way for young people to build meaningful careers and develop essential workplace skills,” Dr. Cruz said at the event. “These experiences help students expand their awareness of career options and expose them to work environments. Students also develop broad, transferable skills for postsecondary education and the workplace.”
Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson accepted the award for the city and praised the program’s impact.
“This initiative represents the best of Milwaukee. Employers are showing young people that their skills are valued and that their future is bright, right here in Milwaukee,” Johnson said.
Since 2018, more than 5,000 MPS students have participated in M-Cubed’s work-based learning programs and attended job fairs to explore careers.
In 2024, more than 1,000 MPS juniors attended job fairs, an increase from 600 students in 2022 and 900 students in 2023.
Founded in the spring of 2015, M-Cubed seeks to transform the future of Milwaukee through education. Using collaboration, coordination and partnership, MATC, MPS and UWM strive to increase the retention, graduation and career success of students, and to prepare a skilled workforce for the region.
“M-Cubed has stood the test of time for 10 years and that’s something we should all be proud of,” Dr. Cruz said. “Through economic upswings and downturns, through COVID 19, through budget battles, and through transition in leadership. Through all of that, M-Cubed not only stands, we are thriving.”
Aviation Careers Education, a summer internship program managed by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation Bureau of Aeronautics, won the Paving the Pathway award in 2024. We Energies won the inaugural award in 2023.
About M-Cubed: Founded in the spring of 2015, M-Cubed seeks to transform the future of Milwaukee through education. Through collaboration, coordination and partnership, MPS, MATC and UWM will increase the retention, graduation and career success of our students and provide a prepared workforce and citizenry for the Wisconsin economy. M³ will also provide the education and resources to help drive an entrepreneurial mindset for all students to increase choices and opportunities for growth.
About MATC: As Wisconsin’s largest technical college and one of the most diverse two-year institutions in the Midwest, Milwaukee Area Technical College is a key driver of southeastern Wisconsin’s economy and has provided innovative education in the region since 1912. More than 30,000 students per year attend the college’s four campuses and community-based sites or learn online. MATC offers affordable and accessible education and training opportunities that empower and transform lives in the community. The college offers more than 180 academic programs — many that prepare students for jobs immediately upon completion and others that provide transfer options leading to bachelor’s degrees with more than 40 four-year colleges and universities. Overwhelmingly, MATC graduates build careers and businesses in southeastern Wisconsin. The college is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.