MILWAUKEE – Governor Jim Doyle today announced a $600,500 Joyce Foundation grant that will reduce poverty by helping low-wage workers learn new skills and get better jobs in high growth sectors.
“We are very pleased to receive a second grant from the Joyce Foundation,” Governor Doyle said. “This award recognizes the progress we are making with our RISE initiative and the potential to help many low-wage workers learn new skills that lead to better jobs. RISE will also help ensure a skilled workforce for employers in high demand sectors, such as health care, advanced manufacturing and information technology.”
“This second Joyce Foundation grant will be instrumental in helping us provide the kind of education low-skill workers need to obtain good jobs and join Wisconsin’s next generation workforce,” Wisconsin Technical College System President Dan Clancy said. “With the RISE initiative and Governor Doyle’s investments in worker training, we can help low-income adults realistically balance work and family responsibilities.”
The Joyce Foundation awarded a $1 million grant three years ago to help Governor Doyle and the Department of Workforce Development launch the Regional Industry Skills Education (RISE) initiative in partnership with the Wisconsin Technical College System. Since then, the RISE partnership has funded grants to develop technical college training more suited to low-income adults balancing family and work responsibilities. The initial grant also has funded worker surveys and efforts to engage employers, who will benefit from RISE as low-wage workers gain skills and progress along career pathways.
RISE is intended to serve roughly 723,000 workers statewide who have a high school degree or less. Two of three jobs today require more education.
The RISE partnership is part of Governor Doyle’s efforts to prepare Wisconsin workers and businesses to succeed in the future economy. Earlier this year, he announced his Wisconsin Sector Strategies Initiative, which reflects a major change in the way the state and its partners will train workers for jobs of the future and meet the needs of employers in growing, emerging sectors.
The Sector Strategies initiative will be funded with nearly $3 million in federal funds over the next two years. In the months ahead, $490,000 in grants will be awarded as a first step in bringing together leaders of industry, labor, education, economic development and workforce development in the state’s seven Grow Wisconsin regions. These leaders will form partnerships to identify the workforce needs of high-growth sectors and develop strategies to meet those needs. As a next step, industry specific partnerships can seek grants that will leverage additional resources and fund the training of workers for jobs in demand. For regions that are ready, grant money for training will be available immediately.
