MKE
TECH News
Issue 19 - 5/20, 2020
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The goal of the #mketech newsletter is to connect the tech community in the Milwaukee region to the work of the Coalition, its members, regional tech news and events. This month, you'll see some changes to hopefully make this easier. First, we've added sections to highlight the work of the Milwaukee Tech Hub Coalition and our members. Second, we've expanded the distribution list to those who have participated in any past Tech Hub events.
Since some of you are new, I hope you take a couple minutes to listen to my message on the goals of the Coalition, And for everyone, we hope you find this new format helpful. Your feedback or content is always welcome at
contact@mketech.org
.
Kathy Henrich, CEO
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Tech Jobs
Expanding the number of tech companies that relocate to and/or grow in the region
MKE Tech in the News
GalaxE.Solutions
announced it will launch
Outsource to Milwaukee
,
a program that will help revitalize our economy during this time and upskill local talent to fill the critical tech job needs in the Milwaukee region. GalaxE’s CEO mentioned its partnership with MKE Tech Hub Coalition member Northwestern Mutual to launch Outsource to Milwaukee in an interview with
CNBC
.
Stay tuned for more details on the program!
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K-20
Developing and retaining the next generation of tech talent
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Virtual Summer Tech Internship Program
The Coalition is committed to increasing the number of college students exposed to tech and stay in the region to secure careers in the tech sector. Thank you to employers planning to continue their summer internship programs. For those that can't, the Commons has developed a
Summer Virtual Internship
for a deep dive into tech and innovation. Over 450 students have applied. The
Coalition provided $75,000 in seed money
to support the program, but we need the full support of the #mketech ecosystem to make it a reality. Please consider
sponsoring one or more students
.
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Re/Upskilling
Developing new sources of talent that match our employers needs and demonstrate a value for diversity
Dev10 - Update/Call to Action
Genesis10 selected its first cohort for
Dev10 Software Developer Training Program
, which begins on June 1. Coalition members Northwestern Mutual, Kohl’s and West Bend Mutual Insurance will be some of the first organizations to leverage the program. Dev10 expands Milwaukee’s tech talent ecosystem by creating a new pool of software development talent. Dev10 recruits locally, retaining more local talent, and delivers greater diversity than traditional computer science programs. Standard curriculum focuses on full-stack Java with an ability to customize to client tech stacks. Committed to the Milwaukee market, Genesis10 plans to select another cohort to start in September. For more information, contact Jennifer Turnquist at
jturnquist@genesis10.com
or 651-269-8664.
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Call for Input: IT Apprenticeships
The Coalition is exploring the possibility of forming an IT Apprenticeship employer committee to benefit members and the #mketech ecosystem
.
IT Apprenticeships are a Department of Labor priority and provide a combination of related instruction at area technical colleges with on-the-job training. This model supports Coalition objectives by upskilling existing workers or reskilling under/unemployed workers to take on in-demand tech roles with a progressive level of responsibilities. Existing programs include data analyst, IT service desk technician, software developer and cybersecurity. If you’re already employing IT apprentices or would like to learn more about how this model might benefit your organization, please contact
LauraS@mketech.org
.
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Northwestern Mutual Venture Studio
The
Northwestern Mutual Venture Studio
works with entrepreneurs to help identify, build and grow ideas, leveraging the people, resources and capabilities of an industry-leading financial services company to create a go-to-market advantage. By partnering with the Northwestern Mutual Venture Studio, you’ll co-develop your venture with our team of entrepreneurs, engineers, designers and growth marketers, with free work space in
Cream City Labs
. W
e’ll also connect you with potential venture capital opportunities, including
Northwestern Mutual Future Ventures
.
Apply today
or attend our
virtual information session
on June 2 to learn more, meet the team and ask questions.
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Young Enterprising Society Accelerator
Using Data Science to Empower the Future of Lindsay Heights
Walnut Way
and the
Northwestern Mutual Data Science Institute
(NMDSI) shared
results of a research project
t
o gather and analyze existing data and determine how it can be leveraged to address barriers to equitable housing and economic development in the Lindsay Heights neighborhood. Students from UW-Milwaukee and Marquette University analyzed nearly 20 years of data on social, environmental and economic aspects of the neighborhood. Results will help inform the Lindsay Heights economic development and planning process and the city’s comprehensive plan for Milwaukee's near northside. Be sure to sign up for the NMDSI
distribution list!
NVISIA Webinar Series
NVISIA is a local, award-winning software development partner and Coalition member. The company has organized a series of presentations and events intended to engage, inform and provide better collaboration across the technology leadership community. To make the information accessible to a wider audience, NVISIA has pivoted to hosting a webinar series led by local technology leaders. In this series, you will find leaders sharing their experiences and knowledge around topics like modernization, digital transformation, cultural challenges and involvement, leadership best practices and more. Interested to learn how you can get involved? Please visit the
website
. Contact
Josh Cherry
or
Dana Moyano
with any questions.
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2020 Milwaukee Tech Census results are now available
. The first-ever Milwaukee Tech Census conducted by Skills Pipeline in partnership with Startup Milwaukee provides an overview of the demographics, preferences and insights from hundreds of technology workers, executives, venture capitalists and entrepreneurs in southeast Wisconsin. You can access the
full-report
online.
Statewide COVID-19 business and talent impact survey
measures the economic hardship experienced by Wisconsin businesses due to the pandemic.
It will be repeated over several observation periods to determine impacts over defined time periods.
The goal is to provide data to inform actions as new trends in talent gaps emerge in a post COVID-19 world, which will directly benefit the Milwaukee Tech Hub Coalition planning. The survey is a partnership between the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation, regional economic development organizations and UW Oshkosh Center for Customized Research and Services. Please help us by
providing data for your organization
. You also can view the past results on the website.
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2020 STEM Summer Camps and Programs
STEM Forward has once again compiled a list of
STEM summer camps and programs
in southeast Wisconsin. Please note that many organizations are still undecided whether to hold in-person sessions, so check out the latest information by selecting the Learn More button for each listing. The site will continue to be updated as more details are received. Please contact
mhaeger@stemforward.org
if you have questions or updates.
Call for Volunteers
Microsoft TEALS is looking for volunteers for the 2020-2021 school year to help expand computer science in Milwaukee! TEALS will be supporting over 25 classrooms virtually and in-person (COVID-19 dependent) throughout the Milwaukee area to teach computer science next year. For more information on how you can get involved to inspire the next generation of computer scientists, contact
Marlena Eanes
or check out the
TEALS website
for more information.
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Collaboration Across College Campuses for Leadership
Last October, the
Higher Education Regional Alliance
(HERA) officially launched to focus on
three primary goals
of critical importance: College completion, Alignment of Supply and Demand, and Building Talent Bridges with Employers. Collaboration between university leaders has been invaluable in this time of crisis. Please feel free to
reach out to HERA
on topics aligned to these goals that apply across all college/universities in southeastern Wisconsin.
Employers - College Recruitment Platform
Many recent grads as well as those still in the pipeline for graduation have had internships and full-time work disrupted by COVID-19. Please consider them in your recovery plans. The
Higher Education Regional Alliance
(HERA) has agreed to standardize on two online platforms to make it easier for students and employers in the region to connect. Reach more than 150,000 post-secondary students along with alumni of college/universities across southeast Wisconsin by using
Handshake and TechConnect
(currently powered by Purple Briefcase
).
Collaboration Across College Campuses for Talent
Code.org Legislative Efforts in Wisconsin
Over 70 employers signed on to Code.org’s #CSforWI legislative effort to provide capacity building support for Computer Science (CS) education in K12. A bill was drafted to:
- create a new position within the Department of Public Instruction dedicated to the development and execution of a state strategy for CS education.
- provide grants for professional education of K12 educators interested in teaching CS.
This bill was not introduced during the last legislative session and will be revisited in the next session. In the meantime, Code.org hopes to advance discussions as part of the development of the Governor's budget.
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Additional Ecosystem Events
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Preparing for the Future of Work
Milwaukee startup, Ease, is hosting a series on the rapid evolutions taking place within the workforce and how you can prepare for them. Each episode will feature a dynamic guest who provides insights on ways to connect talent and companies, grow your business and select the right technologies to move you forward in this new normal. In our May 20 episode, you’ll join Ease's CEO, Nathan Harris, in a conversation with Milwaukee Tech Hub Coalition CEO Kathy Henrich on what the future of work looks like and how you can prepare your company and community for it. Register
here
.
Wisconsin Technology Association
Don’t Miss "Stewardship & Innovation: The Duties and Potential of Business Analytics," a conversation highlighting various viewpoints on the amount of data at our fingertips. Details for this
free
virtual event on May 21 are on our
website
…. just click on
Register
for more information and to sign up!
Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification Information Session
NEW IT Alliance in partnership with WiPro has scheduled an information session on the new Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification requirements announced in January. The requirements impact Department of Defense (DoD) contractors and many of their subcontractors. As the regulations are implemented, manufacturers will need to be certified in order to remain part of the DoD supply chain. Learn more about the June 3 event and register
here
.
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Virtual Entrepreneurs Conference
Registration is now open for our
virtual Entrepreneurs’ Conference
on June 4
! Featuring a keynote by UW-Madison graduate Brian Pinkerton, chief architect of Siri, the conference will be an impactful way to network with 6 panel sessions, 5 workshop sessions, 1:1 private video networking and our annual Ken Hendricks “Seize the Day” Award. We will cap the day with the Governor’s Business Plan Contest + Wisconsin YES! winners. Watch for the
BPC company presentations
to be released soon! You don’t want to miss out
!
5 LAKES Front
The premier front end development conference in the Great Lakes has been moved to November 13. The day-long event in Milwaukee will feature 20+ tech talks from speakers from around the region. To learn more, visit the
web site
.
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A new
report
from the Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) shows Wisconsin’s technology-related labor force expanded by more than 44,000 workers over the past decade, increasing the industry’s economic impact on the state to more than $21 billion.
A recent survey conducted by the Wisconsin Technology Council revealed only a small amount, just 11%, of tech companies across the state say the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly affected their business.
Niki Neal is getting help during the pandemic from Milwaukee-based, nationally-ranked startup accelerator gener8tor.
Last year's event included a keynote from Dell vice president Dennis Hoffman and a question and answer session with Grammy-nominated music producer Steve Aoki.
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T
here are many ways to get involved in the #mketech movement:
- Stay informed through our newsletter and reach out to people to explore opportunities to collaborate.
- Become a Coalition member and/or provide subject matter expertise to the Coalition.
- Share the newsletter with others in your network. You also can submit content for a future newsletter by emailing contact@mketech.org. Please note, content is limited to 100 words and is always due by 8 am on the first Friday of each month.
- Stay connected with the MKE tech community through MKEtech.org or #MKEtech.
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