Here are opportunities Milwaukee high school graduates should know about | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
PrincessSafiya Byers
May 6, 2024
With high school graduation season fast approaching, many seniors are likely working to determine their next steps.
Many may be grappling with the decision of whether to pursue a traditional four-year college degree, explore different educational pathways such as trade schools or community colleges or enter the workforce directly.
But the good news is Milwaukee offers numerous opportunities to help navigate these decisions,  whether you choose to continue your education or not. Here are some places to start:
Milwaukee Area Technical College’s Promise Program offers free tuition to new high school graduates. Students can gain up to 75 credits in free tuition. You can find more information at MATC’s website.
Do you have feedback on Milwaukee NNS's reporting? Take our survey to let us know how we're doing!
If you haven’t already applied for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid or FAFSA, it can help with the cost of college. Federal Student Aid offers grants, loans and work-study to help you pay for college or an approved career school.
According to data from the U.S. Department of Education, as of April 25, Wisconsin is down nearly 6,000 FAFSA submissions, compared to the same time last year. The deadline to apply is June 30. More information here.
The Fair Opportunity Project offers a series of free services like a college application guide, free essay reviews for scholarships or applications, virtual mentoring and a service that helps students and families complete FAFSA applications.
“We want students to know it’s not too late to complete FAFSA,” said Carole Trone, executive director of the Fair Opportunity Project. “Completing FAFSA opens up about $15,000 in funds for college.”
Milwaukee Area Technical College Apprenticeships: offer an “earn while you learn” program in construction, industrial fields, information technology, or IT, and service. The program provides both on-the-job training and related classroom instruction provided by MATC. For more information, you can contact David Stuart at stuartd@matc.edu.
The Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development offers pre apprenticeships and apprenticeships in which students can learn skills necessary for apprenticeships and then participate in the “earn while you learn” program. More information is available on the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development’s website.
AmeriCorps offers opportunities to serve communities locally and nationally. The program comes with a stipend as well as education awards for AmeriCorps members and supplemental health insurance, loan deferment and child care. Benefits vary by program.
For more information, you can visit the AmeriCorps website.
United Neighborhood Centers of Milwaukee offers employment opportunities through Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act Youth Services. With resources and coaching, the program helps Milwaukee County residents ages 16 to 24 create and implement a career plan.  More information here.
Employ Milwaukee offers a series of work opportunities and programs that can help kick-start a career. The group has Earn & Learn opportunities, apprenticeships and more. More information here.
City Year Milwaukee offers training and on-the-job learning to eligible applicants ages 17 to 25. If you filled out a common application to apply to colleges, you can use it to apply to City Year.  Learn more here.
If you know of opportunities we have not included on this list, email us at: pbyers@milwaukeenns.org or put in comments.