It's Young Professionals Week in Wisconsin — an effort by 27 communities across the state to retain and attract a younger workforce in Wisconsin. YP Week features more than 200 events aimed at millennials from Wisconsin and the upper Midwest.
It was founded in 2012 by NEWaukee and has evolved into a statewide event this year.
The reason it's become so important that communities reach out to young professionals is a perfect storm of demographic realities in Wisconsin: a low unemployment rate, a worker shortage and an aging population.
No where is the aging population being felt more now than in northern Wisconsin.
The Northwest Wisconsin Workforce Investment Board, a regional group responsible for workforce development in 10 northwestern Wisconsin counties, has five events planned for the week.
Mary Lois Bolka is the agency's sector and strategies coordinator who oversees a young professionals group in the Chequamegon Bay area.
"A lot of our population is starting to retire so that also holds a lot of opportunity for young professionals," she said. "There are certain things that young professionals look for, things like outdoor recreation, entertainment and community involvement. Those things are in our community, we just need to make sure that they are accessible and maybe even appropriate for young people today."
Bolka said the young professionals group is designed to ensure millennials are comfortable both professionally and socially. Adding that access to affordable housing, child care and the internet are issues that are important to young people and are issues business leaders are working to address.
But there are still more jobs than people to fill them in northwestern Wisconsin, forcing employers to get creative to attract new workers.
Bolka said health care facilities were finding that rather than getting new workers to fill positions, they were fighting over the same employees. Her agency developed an event called Superior Talent in response.
"It was a three-day, all-inclusive trip for health care students (from Wisconsin and Minnesota) to come to the Chequamegon Bay, meet with employers, explore the area, socialize, meet with other young people in the area and see if this is a good fit for them," Bolka said.
She said several students who made the trip are considering coming to work in the area.
Emily Jeffress is one of those young professionals living in the Bayfield area.
She moved with her husband from Indiana six years ago, started a family, and a wedding and event planning business.
Jeffress said the Chequamegon Bay area holds everything young people are looking for, outdoor recreation and a good social life, but she also said the area could benefit from a formal mentorship program.
"That's something that could possibly be beneficial to the community, having some type of mentorship program for those that are looking to start businesses or looking to move here," Jeffress said. "Just someone to be a go-to person or just a friendly face when you move here."
