MADISON – Governor Jim Doyle today announced more than $951,000 in worker training grants that gives industries a leading role in worker training and aligns resources to meet the regional needs in such key sectors as health care and advanced manufacturing.
“These grants represent a major shift in how we train workers for jobs of the future,” Governor Doyle said. “Industry has always had a role in workforce development. Now industry will have a leading role in identifying the skills workers need for good jobs in strategic sectors, and the best use of our training dollars to meet those needs. This is worker training driven by demand that helps workers, employers, and communities grow.”
Department of Workforce Development Secretary Roberta Gassman, on behalf of Governor Doyle, today in La Crosse announced four grants of nearly $146,000 for the region, all part of Governor Doyle’s new Wisconsin Sector Strategies Initiative to meet the regional workforce needs of emerging and high growth industry clusters. At Franciscan Skemp Healthcare, Secretary Gassman announced a $70,464 grant to improve the computer skills of 70 nurses and medical records staff for the shift to electronic medical record systems. Secretary Gassman also announced a $44,139 grant for LEAN Manufacturing Training.
The Governor announced the Sector Strategies Initiative in March as part of a nearly $6 million worker training package, funded with federal dollars from existing programs. He designated nearly $3 million for the Sector Strategies Initiative. The grants announced today are the first for training.
They are:
· $70,464 for the Health Care Sector Initiative, La Crosse. The initiative will train 121 workers to meet needs identified by the La Crosse Medical Health Science Consortium and the Coulee Region Long Term Care Coalition. The grant to Workforce Connections, Inc. of La Crosse will be matched locally to provide $140,928 for the initiative. Seventy workers will learn computer skills as health care providers to convert to new electronic medical record systems. Twenty-five supervisors will receive training to improve their leadership skills and retain health care workers. Fifteen workers or job seekers will receive training as certified nursing assistants to begin health care careers serving elderly patients. The partnership also will provide health care training to eight developmentally disabled adults and three job coaches to prepare the developmentally disabled adults to assist patients with basic personal and health care needs.
· $44,139 for LEAN Manufacturing Training, La Crosse. The project will train 20 production workers in the 7 Rivers Grow Region. The grant to Workforce Connections, Inc., of La Crosse,
will be matched locally for a total $88,278, supporting the LEAN Training initiative of the Equipment and Metal Manufacturing Association.
· $400,365 for the Southeast Wisconsin Healthcare Sector Partnership, Milwaukee. The project will train 137 workers for jobs in hospitals, clinics and long term care facilities. It will also establish a foundation that meets future needs of employers and workers through a strong collaboration between health care providers, public and private schools and colleges, and economic and workforce development agencies. The grant to the Milwaukee Area Workforce Investment Board leverages an additional $458,500 for total partnership funding of $858,865.
· $279,980 for the Southeastern Wisconsin Green Manufacturing Sector Strategies Project, Waukesha. The project will train 97 dislocated workers and disadvantaged adults, preparing them for career pathways to green jobs. The sector effort is being led by the Milwaukee 7 Next Generation Manufacturing Industry Council’s industry partnership. Individuals will receive training in welding and CNC operation and programming. The grant to Waukesha-Ozaukee-Washington Workforce Development, Inc. is leveraging an additional $347,217 for total funding of $627,197, not only to provide training to the nearly 100 individuals, but build on the success of the collaborative effort to meet additional workforce needs of the emerging green manufacturing sector.
In addition, the Governor announced seven additional grants totaling $156,000 to set up similar training efforts in other parts of the state. On behalf of Governor Doyle, Secretary Gassman announced convening grants of $15,793 for a Food and Agricultural Product Cluster in La Crosse, and $15,305 for a Bio Plastics/Composite Group Industry Cluster. Awarded to Workforce Connections, Inc., the two grants will build partnerships among leaders from industry sectors, education, economic and workforce development, to identify training needs and align the region’s training resources to meet those needs. The remaining five grants are:
· $25,000 for the Southeastern Wisconsin Water Sector Initiative. Awarded to the Milwaukee Area Workforce Investment Board.
· $25,000 for Define and Align Green Project. Awarded to the Southeast Wisconsin Workforce Development Agency, Kenosha.
· $25,000 for the New North Wind Works Initiative. Awarded to the Fox Valley Workforce Development Board, Appleton.
· $25,000 for Northland Works Construction and Building Sector Initiative. Awarded to the Northwest Wisconsin Workforce Investment Board, Inc., Ashland.
· $25,000 for Northland Works Advanced Manufacturing Sector Initiative. Awarded to the Northwest Wisconsin Investment Board, Inc.
