Readiness for Employment: Milwaukee Teens without Driver's Licenses

Abstract

This report identified challenges facing Milwaukee youth in obtaining driver’s licenses. The State of Wisconsin has discontinued its support for driver’s education while requiring that school age youth participate in a school or commercial driving program as a condition for obtaining their license. Paying for a driving course and maintaining a working vehicle is a costly undertaking for many financially strapped families. Auto insurance rates are high for all teens but particularly for teens in central city Milwaukee zipcodes. Longstanding concerns have been expressed about police in suburban neighborhoods targeting minority drivers in older vehicles – adding further to residents’ risks of financial liabilities and licensing charges. Job seekers without driver’s licenses or with suspended or revoked licenses are disadvantaged in seeking and holding employment in the Milwaukee area, where three-fourths of job openings are located outside the bus lines for public transportation.