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Wisconsin Job Watch
A new monthly publication that provides a snapshot of the effects of the recession on Wisconsin jobs.
- read more -
Welcome to COWS
COWS is a national policy center and field laboratory for high-road economic development — a competitive market economy of shared prosperity, environmental sustainability, and capable democratic government.
COWS' work is collaborative, experimental, and evidence-driven. Working with business, government, labor, and communities, we try out new ideas, test their effectiveness, and disseminate those with promise. We believe that the best way to predict the future is to start making it, particularly in our states and metro regions.
Some areas of COWS' program focus are:
- Economic and workforce development
- Sectoral strategies and career pathways
- Clean energy and energy efficiency
- Labor markets and job improvement
- Strategies for improving low-wage work
COWS is based at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, famous for the “Wisconsin Idea” that the University should help informed democratic experiment. Since its founding 18 years ago, COWS has often been called “the Wisconsin Idea in action.”
COWS is a 501(c)(3) nonpartisan, educational and charitable organization. Its budget comes from foundation and individual gifts and grants and technical assistance contracts.
Keeping Up with COWS
Our e-newsletter, COWS Notes, is an easy way to keep informed about what's going on at COWS.
The State of Working Wisconsin
The State of Working Wisconsin tells a compelling story about the status of jobs and workers in Wisconsin. Visit The State of Working Wisconsin web page for more information. Or, follow the links below to download the 2008 report and executive summary.
- The State of Working Wisconsin 2008 - Full Report
- The State of Working Wisconsin 2008 - Executive Summary
Jobs at COWS
To learn about current employment opportunities, click here.
new at COWSA Short Guide to Setting Up a City-Scale Retrofit Program provides a model for cities to design and implement weatherization and retrofitting programs that address climate change, put people to work, and reduce working families' energy bills. - read more - Wisconsin Job Watch is a new monthly publication that provides a snapshot of the effects of the recession on Wisconsin jobs. - read more - Greening Wisconsin's Workforce: Training, Recovery, and the Clean Energy Economy tackles the question of how Wisconsin can best pursue the greener and more equitable promise of the clean energy economy. - read more - Clean Energy Corps will be a combined service, training, and job creation effort to combat global warming, grow local and regional economies and demonstrate the equity and employment promise of the clean energy economy. - read more - To listen to the audio teleconference for the media announcing the Clean Energy Corps, please click here. featured newsObama Praises Cieslewicz7/1/2009- Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz drew a shout-out from President Barack Obama while attending a speech the president delivered to non-profit group leaders Tuesday afternoon in the East Room of the Whi... COWS weighs in on Wisconsin’s job picture with new publication6/17/2009- The Center on Wisconsin Strategy (COWS) recently announced a new monthly publication titled Wisconsin Job Watch that would provide a snapshot of Wisconsin’s job picture and report on key recession ... New job center opens, unemployment drops6/15/2009- MADISON (WKOW) -- The South Madison Health and Family Service Center -- Harambee helps people with education and medical needs. Now, it's adding job hunting to that list. |