Microsoft, New North, American Family Insurance and gener8tor Partner to Help Additional Job Seekers Affected by the Pandemic
Alliance Uses Cohort Model for Job Seeker Training, Support and Placement
GREEN BAY, WISCONSIN, October 21, 2020 – New North announced today its continued partnership with Microsoft, American Family Insurance and gener8tor to launch the second class of the free accelerator program – gener8tor Upskilling – a concierge program for individuals ready to learn digital skills in order to apply for in-demand jobs in the region.
This partnership builds on Microsoft’s TechSpark program which partners on the local level in order to foster economic growth. The company most recently announced its global skilling initiative that seeks to help 25 million people worldwide who have lost their job due to COVID-19 by learning new skills pertaining to jobs that are available in their community. Microsoft provided the initial funding for the program and is providing the LinkedIn Learning platform to leverage training in digital skills that have already been developed. As with the first round, nationally ranked startup accelerator gener8tor will leverage its proven accelerator playbook to provide intensive and personalized coaching, resume writing and interview skills. Graduates also are matched for interviews with local and national employers ready to hire.
“We witnessed the outpouring of applications being submitted into the first round and know there is tremendous demand for quick, focused skills-based training. It is our intention to repeat this process to increase the efforts provided to those who were most drastically affected with job loss during the pandemic,” said Barb LaMue, President & CEO of New North, Inc.
“We also were very honored that LinkedIn CEO Ryan Roslansky wrote about how learners around the world are using this time to get new skills through the gener8tor Upskilling model,” LaMue added. “The New North region was the first in the country to design and execute on this training method.”
“gener8tor is proud to partner with New North, Microsoft and American Family Insurance to get residents new skills quickly so they can get back to work. Improving the digital skills for the whole regional ecosphere is critical. Job seekers and those who are employed can use this time to invest in themselves,” said Joe Kirgues, partner and co-founder at gener8tor. “This program not only includes workplace skills, but also modules on Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging; Professional Soft Skills; and Finding a Job During Challenging Economic Times.”
The five-week, cohort-based program will include:
- Self-paced virtual curriculum from Microsoft and LinkedIn to learn skills for in-demand Customer Service or Sales roles, and to earn certifications and badges;
- One-on-one concierge support from the gener8tor team on the skills content, plus coaching on interview skills and resume, LinkedIn profile and cover-letter writing;
- Virtual access to a network of peers who can support each other and form a community;
- And opportunities to interview with companies ready to hire candidates with these skills.
Through this partnership, participants will have the ability to leverage the resources of several organizations to rapidly accelerate their skills and improve their opportunity for a better-paying job.
More information is available at www.gener8tor.com/gener8tor-upskilling. To apply for the training, please complete your application at www.gener8torupskilling.com/northeast-wisconsin. The deadline to apply is Oct. 25.
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New North is a 501(c)3 non-profit, regional marketing and economic development corporation fostering collaboration among private and public sector leaders throughout the 18 counties of Northeast Wisconsin, known as the New North region. The counties include Outagamie, Winnebago, Calumet, Waupaca, Brown, Shawano, Oconto, Marinette, Door, Kewaunee, Sheboygan, Manitowoc, Fond du Lac, Green Lake, Marquette, Florence, Menominee and Waushara. To find out more information about New North, Inc., please visit www.thenewnorth.com.
American Family Insurance group, based in Madison, Wis., is the nation’s 13th-largest property/casualty insurance group, ranking No. 254 on the Fortune 500 list. The group sells American Family-brand products, primarily through exclusive agency owners in 19 states. The American Family Insurance group also includes CONNECT, powered by American Family Insurance, The General, Homesite and Main Street America.
Microsoft TechSpark is a civic program designed to foster greater economic opportunity and job creation in rural communities.
gener8tor’s turnkey platform for the creative economy connects startup founders, musicians, artists, individuals, investors, universities and corporations. The gener8tor platform includes preaccelerators, accelerators, corporate programming, conferences and fellowships.
