An organization called the Millennial Action Project held a roundtable discussion in Appleton on Tuesday that had bipartisanship when it came to a Republican and a Democrat working together at the table, but the same could not be said for the event’s age groups.

If you were born between 1981 to 1996, you’re a millennial. 

There weren’t many of them sitting at the roundtable for a discussion on millennials.

Most of the few millennials who were there sat in the back, and didn’t participate in the discussion. 

“I’m not too standoffish of a person, but I didn’t know what the rules were, so I didn’t know if I should sit at the table or if I should sit back but it was nice to listen to the conversation anyways,” Brandon Colligan, a senior at UW Oshkosh, said.

Instead, people who are well into their working years talked about the millennial workforce, with no input from millennials who are about to enter it.

Republican Congressman Mike Gallagher and Democratic State Representative Amanda Stuck, who are both millennials in their 30s, weighed in with what our state can do better to recruit young talent. 

“Recognizing that young people are demanding in terms of that they do want a quality of life, also and that they’re not necessarily going to just move somewhere for a job, or work at a job their whole lives, they’re going to move around, they want employment that they feel matters, they want flexibility, so we also have to have those kinds of conversations with employers about what we need to do to create a place where we can keep and attract young people,” Rep. Stuck said.

Then, there is the problem of the service and trade industries lacking workers, because so many millennials are going to four-year colleges. 

“This is definitely what I hear most consistently from businesses across the state and certainly within Northeast Wisconsin is that they can’t find people,” Rep. Gallagher said. “I think the problem is complex. I think a lot of it is that we have devalued career and technical education  and sort of told a whole generation that you have to go to a four-year college or your failing. Four-year college is great, it’s fine, I went to a four-year college, but there are other options available too and you make a great living and do meaningful work going into the trades.”

While no one at the roundtable heard from millennials who will be entering the workforce soon, it’s critical for potential employers to listen. 

“I plan on staying in the Midwest, probably working in the private sector after college, I eventually want to go to grad school, but in the short term I’m looking to stay in the area, but I think in the long term I do want to move which is a recurring theme of many millennials,” Colligan said.