Tony Evers, Governor
Amy Pechacek, Secretary

Department of Workforce Development
Secretary's Office
201 E. Washington Avenue
P.O. Box 7946
Madison, WI 53707-7946
Telephone: (608) 266-3131
Fax: (608) 266-1784
Email: sec@dwd.wisconsin.gov

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 12, 2025
CONTACT: DWD Communications
CommunicationsOffice@dwd.wisconsin.gov

Training Grant Empowers Milwaukee Teens to Grow Their Skills

MILWAUKEE– At Westlawn Gardens in Milwaukee, dozens of garden boxes overflow with leafy greens, berries, colorful flowers, and more. But even more is growing here than meets the eye.

Teens Grow Greens participants with DET Administrator Michele Carter — Left to right: Teens Grow Greens participants Breasia Hall, CaMiyah Coad, Cory Coad, Aniya Shaw, and DWD Division of Employment and Training Administrator Michele Carter.

Teens from across the city are growing their job skills through paid internships with Teens Grow Greens (TGG) that include horticulture, culinary arts, marketing, and education. TGG is a nonprofit started in 2014 by teachers Charles and Rachel Uihlein with the goal of helping teens develop important first-job experiences and practical career skills such as leadership and public speaking.

Watch the video to learn more about Teens Grow Greens.

"Throughout my journey here, I've had so much fun," said participant Aniya Shaw, "It's helped my communication skills and my public speaking skills as well — I was not very good at that and now I feel like I am."

TGG was awarded funding in the second round of the Worker Advancement Initiative (WAI), administered by the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development (DWD). DWD announced in June 2025 that $10.3 million in WAI funding would be awarded to help 1,400 workers across the state. Recipient Employ Milwaukee, the area Workforce Development Board, provided $400,000 to support TGG.

"We're proud to support TGG as it teaches students valuable job skills and prepares young people to join the workforce of tomorrow, wherever their dreams lead them," said DWD Secretary Amy Pechacek.

“Employ Milwaukee is proud to partner with TGG in their work-based learning models for youth through the Worker Advancement Initiative," said Julie Cayo, president and CEO of Employ Milwaukee. "With this partnership, over 30 young people will gain meaningful first-job experiences, fostering essential life and career skills through hands-on learning — aligning with Employ Milwaukee’s goals to provide education and training to our community’s future workforce.”

TGG offers three-month paid internships involving cooking, gardening, exploring Milwaukee, and designing and developing an environmentally friendly product. After completing any of the TGG internships, teens can advance to paid apprenticeship positions in horticulture, education, entrepreneurship, or marketing. These career-focused tracks, which are unique to TGG and not affiliated with the state's apprenticeship system, provide professional development and include hands-on capstone projects.

The nonprofit partners with a nearby neighborhood center, and in 2024 donated over 1,000 pounds of fresh produce to the community. It also holds events with local business leaders to teach students networking skills and foster professional connections.

"We have interns coming in who have never been in a garden, never seen a spade, never transplanted anything like that," said CaMiyah Coad, a TGG apprentice who enjoys working with younger students. "Then you see how big and beautiful our garden is becoming. TGG helps you know that you can do anything, you can learn anything. Anything is possible."

The WAI launched in 2021 as part of Governor Tony Evers' groundbreaking Workforce Solutions Initiative, funded by the state’s allocation of federal pandemic relief funds. The first round of grants awarded through the WAI were targeted to serve more than 2,300 Wisconsinites. To date, programs included in the governor’s Workforce Solutions Initiative have collectively served more than 33,000 Wisconsinites.

Learn more about worker training grants and DWD's Division of Employment and Training.

ABOUT DWD

Wisconsin's Department of Workforce Development efficiently delivers effective and inclusive services to meet Wisconsin's diverse workforce needs now and for the future. The department advocates for and invests in the protection and economic advancement of all Wisconsin workers, employers, and job seekers through six divisions – Employment and Training, Vocational Rehabilitation, Unemployment Insurance, Equal Rights, Worker's Compensation, and Administrative Services. To keep up with DWD announcements and information, sign up for news releases and follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, X, and YouTube.