The Milwaukee-based Helen Bader Foundation has announced grants totaling $1.1 million in support of two dozen local workforce development projects.

The grants will be used to advance collaborative models of successful workforce development for Milwaukee's unemployed population, which as of February totaled 40,297 people; recent data shows the unemployment rate in Milwaukee Country has jumped from 8.6 percent to 8.8 percent. The projects include job preparation programs, skills training and hands-on work experiences, efforts to spur business and job creation in the community, and research initiatives designed to improve workforce development policies.

Among other things, the grants will support innovative approaches to linking the city's unemployed with sustainable employment, while helping local organizations build on their workforce-focused efforts by investing in new approaches to reach the unemployed. In addition to tracking the impact of each project, the foundation will convene a workforce issues speaker series and an annual summit, including national, regional and local experts to discuss workforce issues and potential solutions to the unemployment crisis.

"As a driver for change, we are well-positioned to be a leader on the issue of workforce development," said Bader Foundation president and CEO Daniel Bader. "As we bring our community together to uncover and discuss the complexities behind our city's unemployment issue, we can begin thinking and acting boldly to develop opportunities for Milwaukee's workforce."