Fallon Lile, talent acquisition consultant for the Medical College of Wisconsin (from left), and Kimberly Quetschke, senior talent sourcing specialist at Advocate Aurora Health, interview Nathaniel Epperson during mock interviews at a JobsWork MKE workshop in February. (Photo by Meredith Melland)
By Meredith Melland
This story was originally published by Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service, where you can find other stories reporting on fifteen city neighborhoods in Milwaukee. Visit milwaukeenns.org.
John Thrower smiled as he visited JobsWork MKE’s new location at ThriveOn King, eager to share his story about completing the workshop nearly six years ago with the 11 participants.
“They do care,” he said. “And I think that’s one of the biggest issues with a lot of people is they think that nobody cares.”
JobsWork MKE’s workshop is just one of the workforce development programs community members have access to in ThriveOn King in Bronzeville.
Thrower enrolled in the workshop during a difficult time in his life, when he was recovering from a substance abuse disorder, going through a divorce and grieving the death of his mother.
He said the free 10-day workshop helped him get a job as a courier with Aurora West Allis Medical Center.
Now, Thrower is working as a semitruck driver and is nearly finished with college courses to graduate with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice with a focus on human services. He hopes to become a substance abuse counselor.
“I’m living proof that if you desire to change, you can change, but you’ve got to own the change,” he said.
ThriveOn King, 2153 N. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, is a hub of businesses, art and community spaces. (Photo by Meredith Melland)
About ThriveOn King
Economic development and mobility have been key goals of ThriveOn King, 2153 N. Martin Luther King Drive, since the project developers began community outreach in 2019.
The ThriveOn Collaboration, led by the Greater Milwaukee Foundation, Medical College of Wisconsin and Royal Capital, worked on the historic redevelopment of the mixed-use building, which held a grand opening last fall.
All of the building’s first-floor tenants offer workforce development programs, including JobsWork MKE’s job readiness and skills-building workshop; culinary training at Kinship Café; phlebotomy training at Versiti on King; and early childhood education workforce development at Malaika Early Learning Center.
Opportunities abound
In addition to learning spaces for young children, Malaika’s location includes a professional development center that will offer training opportunities for other early childhood education providers in the neighborhood, according to Cydney Key, senior director of ThriveOn guest experiences and strategic partnerships.
“That’ll be a space that’s able to really help increase the training beyond just the regulatory requirements, so this investment in Malaika is really an investment in all of the care in our community,” Key said.
Staff at Kinship Café, which is a project of Kinship Community Food Center, are going through a workforce employment readiness program that includes culinary training.
“They just really remarked on how cool it is that their participants in the program are not just here doing the job, they’re not just punching a clock, they’re not just checking off a box,” Key said. “They’re really engaging in this sense of this reciprocal relationship with the space, right? That they’re receiving something but also able to contribute to that as well.”
The Greater Milwaukee Foundation has invested $1.9 million in small businesses in the area as part of its focus on economic mobility, as well as supporting workforce development programs at JobsWork, Kinship, Malaika and Versiti.
“We also partner with those who are providing training and workforce access in the community to make sure people have an opportunity to climb up the economic ladder,” said Janel Hines, vice president of community impact for the Greater Milwaukee Foundation.
JobsWork teaches path to sustained employment
In the JobsWork workshop, participants learn how to chart a path to economic self-sufficiency while setting goals, identifying barriers and trauma and doing exercises like mock interviews.
“They stressed being on time. They stressed taking everything seriously. And that’s what really helped me stay focused on what I needed to do,” Thrower said.
For Roman Earl, a pre-apprentice in an electrician program, the workshop is a shortcut to success.
“It kind of gives me like this secure feeling, like I have an opportunity to make something for myself instead of just wandering and learning on the way and falling down,” Earl said.
When he completes the workshop, he will become a lifetime member and can stay connected to the program, like Thrower.
Since JobsWork moved into ThriveOn King, its workshop enrollment numbers have jumped above pre-pandemic numbers, said Michael Adams, president of JobsWork MKE.
Going forward, JobsWork MKE plans to have cohorts with the workers in Kinship’s program, Adams said. It also works closely with the Medical College of Wisconsin and other employer partners to recruit people and place candidates in job interviews.
“I also think this relationship we have at ThriveOn King has been like a catapult to us,” Adams said.
In case you missed it:
Photos: How community members are using ThriveOn King’s shared spaces https://milwaukeenns.org/2025/03/26/photos-how-community-members-are-using-thriveon-kings-shared-spaces/
Meredith Melland is the neighborhoods reporter for the Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service and a corps member of Report for America, a national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on under-covered issues and communities. Report for America plays no role in editorial decisions in the NNS newsroom.