Program: Connecting the Dots: Strategies for Effective Integration in Workforce Development and Apprenticeship Programs

Description: Join us for an engaging webinar presented by Midwest Urban Strategies, where we explore how apprenticeship programs can effectively connect to workforce development systems. This session will highlight actionable strategies for fostering meaningful collaboration.

Learning Objectives:

• Identifying critical connections within the workforce development ecosystem.
• Leveraging financial and community resources to enhance apprenticeship sustainability.
• Integrating supportive services to drive long-term success for apprentices.

Whether you’re developing or expanding apprenticeship programs, this webinar will provide valuable tools and real-world examples to strengthen your initiatives. Don’t miss the opportunity to learn from Midwest Urban Strategies’ expertise in workforce development and collaboration.

Connecting the Dots Presenters: Tracey Carey and Robyn Minton-Holmes

Tracey Carey leads Midwest Urban Strategies (MUS), a consortium of urban workforce boards. With more than $30 million in federal and philanthropic investment and a growing portfolio of business and service partners, MUS delivers high value resource to its members. The consortium’s mission is to grow business investment and expand and diversify talent in the Midwest. Tracey also is a Subject Matter Expert for the Early Childhood Workforce Connector (ECWC) and services on the ECWC Leadership Team. 

Prior to her tenure with MUS, Ms. Carey enjoyed nearly two decades of service developing and supporting workforce development programs and strategies. As the Director of Strategic Initiatives for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee, Tracey facilitated the summer youth employment program that provided first jobs for more than 500 young people annually. She also developed and facilitated training programs for opportunity youth that reengaged them in school and/or work. In 2014 she joined Employ Milwaukee, the workforce development board for Milwaukee County (WI) as the Director of Fund Development & Strategic Initiatives. While serving in that capacity, Ms. Carey raised an additional $13 million dollars and supported the startup of MUS. 

Then, in 2018, she left Milwaukee to join the staff at Partner4Work, the workforce development board for the City of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County, PA. As the Chief Strategy Officer. At P4W, Tracey led a team of innovators working to improve workforce development practice, including the restart of the area’s workforce funding collaborative. Through her leadership, P4W brought more than $10 million dollars to the region in her first year. 

Tracey holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English from the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee, Certificate in Women’s Studies from the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee, Summa cum laude, Certificate in Non-Profit Management from the Center for Non-Profit Management, and Business and Economic Development Finance Professional Certification from the National Development Council.

With over 30 years of nonprofit work experience, Robyn Minton-Holmes currently serves as Senior Consultant with Midwest Urban Strategies (MUS) and is a Subject Matter Expert for the Early Childhood Workforce Connector (ECWC). Her involvement with MUS spans over the past 5+ years and includes time serving as the MUS Senior Director of Operations.  Prior to joining MUS, Robyn was Vice President of Workforce Initiatives at the Center of Workforce Innovations (CWI). During her 13-year tenure at CWI, she was responsible for the integration, alignment, partnering, and innovation of the State’s Northwest Indiana regional WorkOne (Career Services and One Stop) Centers. She also shared her expertise as a School of Business Faculty Member at the University of Phoenix for ten years.

Robyn’s tenure in the nonprofit world led her to positions where she developed model programs and quality initiatives, set strategic direction in areas where change and crisis management were required, and stood as a human capital expert and coach while managing multi-site operations. She is a results-driven and business-oriented leader.

Before moving to the Midwest, Robyn was a Program Director at the Nashville, Tennessee YWCA where she managed day-to-day operations of the state’s largest domestic violence services program. Her role included program development and expansion, human capital management, (capacity building, community awareness, grants management, volunteer management and quality improvement initiatives. She oversaw this $1.7 million program with proven success and is proud to say that the programs initiated under her direction are still in existence and continue to grow and evolve. While at the YWCA, Robyn worked on initiatives with the United States Department of Justice and the Violence Against Women division in creating and evaluating best practice models.

Prior to the YWCA, Robyn’s social services work in Tennessee included her position as Associate Director at Omni Residential Treatment Service where she managed operations, personnel, and the design and oversight of therapeutic protocols.  She also served for ten plus years as a Program Coordinator within the children and youth division of Centerstone, Inc.. Her position with Centerstone involved program development, managing grants, volunteer coordination, and fiscal oversight.  

Robyn has an MBA from Vanderbilt University-Nashville, Tennessee. She earned her M.A. in Counseling from Trevecca Nazarene University, and a B.A. in Sociology from Kentucky Wesleyen College.  She is a member of Leadership Northwest Indiana (LNI, 27) and is a commissioned Honorable Kentucky Colonel (’85).

She was a recipient of the Non-Profit Management Scholarship from Nashville’s Center for Non-Profit Management & Vanderbilt University. In addition, her leadership of volunteer recruitment and retention strategies for a school based HIV education program, garnered her recognition on a national level when she was recognized with the Golden Rule Award for Volunteer Management.