Employers and educators across the nation are exploring new collaborative approaches to ensuring the next generation is career, college and community-ready. Inspire Madison Region is a regional talent-development initiative of the Madison Region Economic Partnership (MadREP) that addresses these issues. Inspire helps schools, business groups, companies and community-based organizations easily connect to build the future workforce in Columbia, Dane, Dodge, Green, Iowa, Jefferson and Sauk Counties.
Through an online network of these organizations, Inspire enhances the Xello software system selected by Wisconsin’s Department of Public Instruction to help all Wisconsin schools fulfill the requirements of Academic and Career Planning (ACP) mandated by the state.
This enhancement brings real-time information on local employers and industries into the ACP equation. It enables employers in our region to connect with educators, students and their parents, to inform them about careers and to nurture the future workforce through company profiles, online career-coaching and Career-based Learning Activities they are offering. Inspire is free of charge to all schools and educational centers throughout our region that have a Xello license.